The pro-abortion group NARAL is out with a new attack on likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney — saying that 17 states will ban abortions if he defeats pro-abortion President Barack Obama.
“Are you okay with allowing nearly half of the states in the Union to ban abortion care?” NARAL asks in a new blog post. “The reason we’re asking is that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee brought it up this week.”
NARAL is referring to an interview with ABC News in which Romney indicated he favors overturning the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy for any reason. Romney said states should be able to decide if they want to provide legal protection for unborn children against abortion.
“Sen. John McCain made a similar, “let the states decide” argument in 2008. It’s an old line from anti-choice politicians,” NARAL complains. “It’s no big deal if the Supreme Court overrules nearly 40 years of jurisprudence that says a woman has a fundamental, constitutional right to choose safe, legal abortion care, these politicians say. The issue would just go to the states.”
“But what would it mean if states got to consider the issue of a woman’s right to choose, “state by state?” NARAL asks. “It would mean very bad news for women throughout the nation. If Roe v. Wade were overturned today, women could lose the right to legal abortion immediately in 17 states.”
According to its own analysis, NARAL says 15 states already have abortion bans that remain on the books and would be able to be enforced immediate after Roe is overturned, protecting women and unborn children in: AL, AZ, AR, CO, DE, LA, MA, MI, MS, NM, OK, UT, VT, WV, and WI. Another four states have trigger laws that ban abortion immediate after the Supreme Court reverses Roe, and they include LA, MS, ND, and SD. With Louisiana and Mississippi in both groups, some 17 states would essentially ban abortions.
NARAL is also concerned because another 15 states are ones it cites has having state legislatures that are sufficiently pro-life to pass an abortion ban through the legislature once Roe is reversed. They include AL, AZ, GA, ID, LA, MI, MS, NE, ND, OH, OK, SD, TX, UT, and WI. Five of those states, GA, ID, NE, OH, and TX, do not currently have abortion bans or triggers in place — making it so NARAL ultimately believes 22 states could see abortion banned if Roe is overturned.
“Just something to consider the next time you hear Gov. Romney or other anti-choice politicians throw around the “let the states decide” line,” NARAL concludes.
For pro-life voters, the possibility of a president who would give unborn children a realistic change of legal protection via the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court who realize the high court was wrong to legislate from the bench in overturning pro-life laws across the nation is likely the number one consideration as they evaluate whether to support Romney over pro-abortion President Barack Obama.
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