Abortion rights are on the ballot

The most important issue on the ballot this year is women’s rights. Over the last few decades, a dedicated minority has worked hard to impose their views on the rest of us, and this summer it finally came to fruition when a position supported by only 13% of Americans became the law of the land.

Plenty has been said about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, but one incontrovertible truth is that if we want the majority’s opinion to matter again, if we want to continue to believe that this is a country where the majority rules, then we will have to take this November’s election more seriously than perhaps any other recent vote.

Many political candidates on the right refuse to discuss their stance on Roe because they know that on the one hand, they cannot win the election if only 13% of people will vote for them, but on the other hand, they cannot win if that 13% votes against them either. Instead of openly announcing their position, they are deflecting by trying to turn the focus to inflation or crime. But let’s be honest: these candidates have little of consequence to offer on either of these subjects.

The Federal Reserve Board’s seven members know more about inflation, employment, and the economy than any of the candidates on our ballots. It is nice to hear our candidates say they are going to fix the economy so it works for all Americans, but I would seek medical advice from Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell before I would seek economic advice from Dr. Oz. (If I am being completely honest, I would probably take Powell’s medical advice over Oz’s medical advice too.)

As for crime, it is true that violent crime rose about 7% in 2020, but according to FBI data, the rate of violent crime in the U.S. is lower now than at any point before 2010. Violent crime is less common today than it was for the first 37 years of my life, and has been for the last decade. Moreover, this recent rise happened during the first year of the pandemic, a time of incredible insecurity, uncertainty, and darkness for all of us (and coincidentally the last year of the previous presidency).

I agree that violent crime is a serious problem and that we need to address it, however I cannot take seriously any candidate who wants to talk about crime but who refuses to accept that better gun regulations — the kind supported by the majority of American voters — should at least be a part of the conversation.

A woman’s right to choose is the one thing that the people we will elect can — and will — try to do something about, and that is what makes it the most important issue on the ballot.

All three Republican candidates running to represent our area in the U.S. House — Christian Nascimento (PA 4th), David Galluch (PA 5th), and Guy Ciarrocchi (PA 6th) — have been very careful to say that the Supreme Court ruling has placed the matter into the hands of the states, and that is where it should be.

To translate: these candidates will oppose any federal law designed to protect a woman’s right to choose.

Meanwhile, many of the GOP’s state level candidates are silent about the issue. Their campaign literature is filled with promises about school choice, election integrity, and tax cuts (worked so well for the British, we should try it here!).

If the party line is that a woman’s right to choose should be settled by state legislators, then those running for state offices should be transparent with voters about their position on the issue.

One major exception is gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, who has proudly stated that he wants to sign a measure into law (that he sponsored) that threatens to jail doctors for providing abortions after about six weeks.

Over the years, I have grown apart from my former political party on the issues, but changing viewpoints aside, it is impossible for me to reconcile the GOP’s steadfast devotion to counter-majoritarianism. Justice Alito wrote that it is time to “return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” That makes it our job to ensure those representatives know where we, the majority, stand. If you are not part of the 13%, then your vote this November needs to say as much about the importance we all place on majority rule as it does about a woman’s right to choose.