In a post-Roe v Wade world, Republicans have faced a dilemma: do they pass a national law regulating abortion, which is unpopular, or allows states to make the decisions, which will in some cases could see radical pro-choicers legalize abortion up till birth.
The Washington Examiner writes that despite his personal preference for a national abortion law, Speaker Johnson believes that the decisions around regulating abortion will be left to the states, and he’s fine with it.
Despite Johnson’s long history of being an anti-abortion advocate, both as a lawyer and as a representative, his new role as a leader has forced him to put some strong beliefs aside in the name of governance. With a law background, he’s looking at it from a different perspective.
No, I don’t,” Johnson told Politico when asked if he had any plans to push for a nationwide abortion ban during a second Trump presidency.
It’s a move away from his views from when he was a rank-and-file member. Then, he co-sponsored federal legislation that would have banned abortion around the six-week mark. He was critical of the legality of Roe v. Wade before it was overturned. He endorsed Justice Clarence Thomas’s opinion that the Supreme Court cases that provide the standing for same-sex marriage and restrictions on the use of contraception should be revisited.
“There’s been some really bad law made,” he said. “They’ve made a mess of our jurisprudence in this country for the last several decades. And maybe some of that needs to be cleaned up.”
The stance from Johnson matches the one carved out by Donald Trump. Last month the former president said that leaving it to the states would be the best way to serve the will of the people.
The former president also criticized the Arizona’s Supreme Court’s when it reinstated an 1864 law outlawing banning almost all abortions, saying it goes too far, and speculating: “I think it’ll be straightened out.”
The legislature, with votes from some Republicans, repealed the law and replaced it with a more popular, but still restrictive, 15-week ban that had been put in place by the Republican legislature years prior.
Will GOP Rally or Not
He’s right. The Supreme Court sent it back to the states, where it belongs. Time for discussions within the states. Despite the rinos and democrats, it is no longer a federal issue.