The leak of a possible draft of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is, as legal experts are universally noting, an unprecedented attack on the institution itself. Theories abound as to whether the draft is accurate (it certainly seems like it); who leaked it—the clerk of a liberal justice attempting to influence the outcome? A conservative clerk seeking to prevent Roberts from persuading a justice to join him in declining to overturn Roe?; whether this represents the Court’s final decision or if the pro-life cause will be betrayed once again.
But watching the reaction of progressives last night, we can say a few things for certain.
Once again, the Left has abandoned the pretence that men can get pregnant and dispensed with recently mandatory phraseology like “birthing people.” Their red, raw rage over the potential loss of Roe is fixated on one thing: the right of women to have children killed in the womb, and the right of the abortion industry to kill them. This is not planned—the reactions pouring out across social media and increasingly in the streets are too instinctual for that. It reveals the fact that these new gender dogmas are not as entrenched as they seem.
Abortion activists are hoping that this leak will scare Democratic politicians into taking drastic action before they likely lose their Congressional majority during the midterm elections. As Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania John Fetterman tweeted: “Let’s be clear: The right to an abortion is sacred. Democrats have to act quickly – get rid of the filibuster to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act + finally codify Roe into law. We cannot afford to wait.” Hundreds of tweets from other progressives concurred with this sentiment, despite the unlikelihood of Senator Joe Manchin signing on to torch the filibuster to create a pan-American abortion regime.
Until several minutes ago, the Democrats had constantly been warning against the “erosion of norms” and questioning the legitimacy of institutions. Predictably, this sentiment has vanished. As Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey tweeted: “A stolen, illegitimate, and far-right Supreme Court majority appears set to destroy the right to abortion, an essential right which protects the health, safety, and freedom of millions of Americans. There is no other recourse. We must expand the court.” The sole reason Markey—and many others—are saying the Court is illegitimate is because Roe may fall.
The AP has made it official. When it’s really important to appeal to normal people, it’s “women”.
https://twitter.com/kkruesi/status/1521934671927562240