How overturning Roe v Wade may cost Republicans the midterms

Although all five Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v Wade were Republican appointees, Republican political candidates currently running for spots in the house and senate in the midterm elections do not seem as clear concerning their views on abortion rights. Having to suddenly come up with voter-friendly solutions on the state-level and, for the first time, consider all the subtle nuances surrounding abortion rights, it seems many Republicans are stumped. Instead of clearly stating their opinions, Republicans seem to be distracting from or avoiding the topic altogether. Seeing that favoring a total abortion ban with no exceptions could cost them votes and jeopardize their victory, some Republicans are now even backtracking on their previous stances. GOP Senate nominee in Arizona, Blake Masters, for example has scrubbed his campaign website of any anti-abortion rhetoric, a trend copied by many of his fellow Republican midterm candidates. Although they are now putting forward more liberal views to their voter base, whether Republicans will keep their new softened stances if elected in November or whether they will continue to flip-flop on the highly polarizing issue of abortion rights remains unclear.

With nationwide protests in the U.S. still ongoing, we may shift our focus to another country whose access to secure and affordable abortion has recently been put into jeopardy: Italy. After the recent election win by Giorgia Meloni’s far right coalition, abortion rights may no longer be safe. As evidenced by an average of 64 percent of doctors in the north and 84 percent in the south objecting to abortion and refusing to perform the procedure, the process of getting an abortion in Italy has never been easy. In one of the most extreme cases, 32-year-old Valentina Milluzzo died of sepsis in 2016, after doctors denied her a life-saving abortion. Six years and a long battle in court later, four doctors have been charged with murder for the case. In less fatal circumstances, it can be difficult for women to find a legitimate abortion provider, and when they finally do, they have to stand in line for hours, starting in the wee hours of the morning. With the new government in place, access to abortion may soon become even more restricted. However, much like in the U.S., the Italian people and especially Italian women have taken their frustrations and concerns to the streets, as evidenced by countrywide protests and women’s marches.

Overall, and regardless of the upcoming midterm election results, what has become clear is that the attempts by Republicans in the U.S. and far-right politicians in Italy to take away or restrict their people’s fundamental human rights and control women’s bodies will not be met with compliance. It seems that in both the Italian and American cases, when citizens feel unheard and unrepresented by their political leaders, they make their voices heard by becoming active, both socially and politically. The payoffs of such efforts can be seen in Kansas, a famously red state, which was first to vote to uphold abortion rights in an election test following the Supreme Court’s ruling. This unexpected outcome clearly shows that reproductive rights transcend party affiliation. Let’s hope the American people in the rest of the U.S. will follow Kansas’ lead and stand up for their constitutional rights on November 8th!