Roe v Wade and the end of majority rule in America | #195 – May 8, 2022

Overturning Roe v Wade is the result of a 50-year crusade of Christian conservatism — and right-wing minoritarianism

This week, a draft of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization was leaked to the media. In it, Justice Samuel Alito writes for the majority of the Court that the Constitution does not protect a woman’s right to an abortion, despite its previous rulings, and that the question will now be left up to the states.

Overturning Roe v Wade is, of course, a long-term goal of religious Christians. It is also the source of the most intense energy on the American right. In fact, religion is the best predictor of attitudes on abortion. Whether you are an Evangelical, Catholic, something else or nothing at all is a more powerful indicator of how you feel about Roe than your sex, education, race, geography — or any combination of them.

But I think the five-decade right-wing crusade against Roe can also be seen through the lens of minority rule.

Polls consistently show a 60-70% of Americans are opposed to overturning the abortion-rights case. And while roughly 60% also