Opinion | The New Politics of Abortion – The New York Times

Some liberals seemed genuinely surprised by the results of the Kansas referendum on abortion. A reliably Republican state, a sweeping pro-choice victory. Who could have foreseen it?

Others suggested that only the pro-life side should be shocked. The anti-abortion movement has long claimed that voters would reward Republicans for overturning Roe, wrote Slate s Mark Joseph Stern. They are now discovering how delusional that conviction has always been.

It s true that activists often tend toward unrealistic optimism. But nobody who favored overturning Roe ought to be particularly surprised by the Kansas result. By the margin, maybe but a Republican state voting to preserve a right to abortion emphasizes what s always been apparent: With the end of Roe, the pro-life movement now has to adapt to the democratic contest that it sought.

via www.nytimes.com

Ross Douthat.