Not talked about during the campaign to any degree is the strong likelihood that Roe v. Wade will be overturned if Romney is elected. In fact, if Romney is elected we are likely to have a staunchly conservative Supreme Court for decades to come.
This may be due to the fact that it would appear unseemly for Obama to bring up, as a political issue, the fact that two of the liberal justices (Ginsburg and Breyer) could not likely survive a four or eight year Romney period in office.
Ginsburg is 79 and has health problems (she has survived pancreatic cancer). Breyer is 74.
The average age that a Supreme Court Justice leaves office, either retiring voluntarily, having to retire due to health problems, or passing away in office is 78.7.
Clearly, Ginsburg and Breyer would like to be replaced by a Democratic President, but could they do it?
If Romney were to be elected, Ginsburg would have to survive another four years to 83 and if he were to have a second term, until she was 87 (beating the average age in office five and nine years respectively). Likewise, Breyer would have to survive until he was 79 or 83 (beating the average age in office by one year or four years respectively).
But perhaps more certain to change the Supreme Court balance is Kennedy, the fifth vote willing to uphold Roe v. Wade and the swing vote on other issues.
Kennedy is 76. As a Republican nominated Justice, what are the chances that he would have any qualms of retiring during Romney's first or second term as he approaches 80 and 84? He would likely prefer to be replaced by a Republican President and resign voluntarily during Romney's first term.
Given these realities, that are difficult to bring up for political purposes, it seems almost certain Roe v. Wade would be overturned. Scalia and his three anti-Roe voters, Roberts, Alito and Thomas, would consider it a crowning victory of their terms in office if they could overturn Roe.
And of course with Romney nominating one, two or perhaps three staunch conservative Justices in their early 50s, the country would be have the most conservative Supreme Court since the mid 1930's for the foreseeable future -- at least for the next 30 years.
Not discussed in the campaign, but perhaps the most important issue in the election.