The GOP's abortion strategy does not make sense if the goal is actually to end abortion (legal, abortions)

[bawac34618]

The GOP's abortion strategy for the past 40 years has been to keep Republicans in power long enough to stack the courts with pro-life justices in hopes that Roe v Wade will be revisited and overturned. This is an incredibly inefficient way to go about ending abortion and its unlikely that it will ever be ended using this strategy, due to the fact that the political pendulum swings back and forth and Republicans will never be in power long enough to get the number justices needed to do it. If the GOP was serious about ending abortion, a constitutional amendment would be the way to do it. However, I don't think actually ending abortion is in the GOP's best interest and that is why they continue their strategy and its why abortion is still legal (and always will be). Here is why.

Abortion is the core issue for most evangelical voters. As long as the GOP remains the pro-life party, evangelicals will be loyal Republicans. After all, their eternal salvation depends on voting for the pro-life candidate. No matter what their opinion is on any other issue, most evangelicals believe its their obligation to vote pro-life as that is the most pressing issue our country is facing and they will face hell for eternity if they do not. Ending abortion with a constitutional amendment could be disastrous for the GOP as many evangelicals would be free to consider and vote on other issues. A prime example of this is Donald Trump. Evangelicals were very slow to warm to Trump, but after the third debate they were all in because they saw Trump as their best chance to get a pro-life supreme court justice.

It's a genius strategy for the GOP. It allows them to continue to win elections at all levels without really having to be accountable. As long as the commit to a pro-life platform, they are invincible. What will never happen though is what evangelicals actually want to see; the end of abortion. I really hope I live to see the day where, one way or another, this is no longer a wedge issue and is not the deciding issue in every election when our country has so many other important, pressing issues.

[katzpaw]

Pro-lifers do not really believe that abortion is murder. If they did then they would be pushing for murder charges against women having abortions.

[Minethatbird]

Some of the GOP ( possibly Trump) also has problems with Roe v Wade. I happen to think it is bad law, and should have been for individual states to decide for themselves.