The furor over the reversal of Roe v. Wade has not died down, despite a short reprieve after the midterm elections. Democrats are still leveraging the abortion issue to appeal to their constituents for votes. A new development in this saga, however, might just reveal division over abortion to be one of many factors prompting some people on both sides of the aisle to question whether a national divorce is warranted. While such a scenario seems unlikely, could it already be happening?
Democratic Governors Form Abortion Alliance
Democratic governors in 20 states have launched a network to enhance access to abortion after the Supreme Court decision to allow states to choose how they handle the legality of the procedure. The gubernatorial posse, led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, called the Reproductive Freedom Alliance a “way for governors and their staffs to share best practices and affirm abortion rights for the approximately 170 million Americans who live in the consortium’s footprint,” according to an ABC News report. The coalition will ensure “services for the remainder of U.S. residents who live in states with more restrictive laws.”
The gaggle of governors will collude with one another in sharing templates for statutory language and executive orders intended to promote abortion access. They will also look at strategies for protecting providers from being prosecuted and ways to “maximize federal financing for reproductive health care.”
Not surprisingly, every one of the governors involved in the coalition represents a deep blue state, the likes of which include California, Michigan, and New York. It secured its initial funding from the California Wellness Foundation and the Rosenberg Foundation, which are both nonprofit groups that support public health efforts in disadvantaged communities.
In a joint statement, the governors celebrated the creation of the alliance: “As governors representing nearly 170 million people across every region of the country, we are standing with all people who believe in reproductive freedom and health care. We are standing with them to say, ‘enough.’” these state leaders also claimed, “[i]n the last year alone, over 36 million women have lost access to critical health care with the overturning of Roe v. Wade.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker released a statement insisting that “a medical decision should be made between a patient and their doctor – not by extremist politicians.” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer argued that “[a]ccess to abortion and other reproductive health care saves lives, and it’s why we will fight like hell to protect fundamental rights wherever they are under attack.” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is “proud to stand with my fellow governors in the fight to strengthen reproductive freedoms – because every American deserves to have their fundamental rights respected.”
Are We Ready to Split?
While Democratic governors are drawing their line in the sand, the same has already happened in red states, with Republican legislators and chief executives enacting legislation to further restrict access to abortion. This issue has materialized into another major rift between red and blue states, while other matters continue to deepen the fissure.
Marjorie Taylor Greene (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) took to Twitter recently to argue in favor of a national divorce. “We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government. Everyone I talk to says this,” she tweeted. “From the sick and disgusting woke culture issues shoved down our throats to the Democrat’s [sic] traitorous America Last policies, we are done.” In another post, Rep. Greene insisted that a national divorce “is not civil war, but becoming a necessary reality because of our irreconcilable differences.”
“The federal government is a monster and has become a weapon of the left against the right,” she added.
Needless to say, Greene’s comments set off a firestorm on the airwaves and interwebs, with both Democrats and Republicans excoriating her for suggesting a breakup of the nation. But does she have a point?
While it seems unlikely that the United States would break up into two separate nations, people are already voting with their moving trucks, so to speak. The past decade has seen millions of Americans moving from deep blue states like California and New York and relocating to red states like Texas and Florida. There are a variety of factors playing into this phenomenon, of course, but political beliefs rank high on that list.
If this trend continues, some would argue, it might possibly indicate the beginning of a gradual national divorce for which some, like Greene, are calling. Even so, it is still worth noting that this development has not impacted the size of the federal government as Greene and many others would like to see. Indeed, it has continued to expand under the control of both parties. The American psyche would probably have to return to the mindset that was pervasive in the early days of the country’s founding to truly have a situation in which state and local governments are prioritized over the federal system.
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