In psychological terms, Donald Trump is living proof of the validity of some Freudian theories about certain men’s feelings of inadequacy. In political terms, Trump is the Republican Party's Id. Mainstream Republicans are panicked by Trump not because of the substance of what he says, but because he uses a bullhorn to broadcast what they'd prefer to dogwhistle. Trump's recent comment about imprisoning women who have abortions was just the latest example.
Given the strong backlash, it was no surprise that Trump immediately backtracked, ultimately taking five positions in five days. It's long been clear that Trump neither knows nor cares about most political policies, and is running mostly out of sheer narcissism. His only real convictions seem to be revealed in his endless spew of bigotry. He's a little man desperate to convince himself that he isn't. But the real story has always been about Trump's appeal to the Republican base that the Republican hierarchy for decades coddled and catered to, and now, to their shock and horror, can't control. And what Trump said about punishing women who have abortions was the logical conclusion of a premise that has become standard Republican dogma. And ostensibly more moderate Republicans not only are no better—in some cases, they’re worse.
Even as the media world was abuzz with Trump's latest verbal outrage, Pennsylvania Republican state legislators were moving to curtail access to abortion.
The state House's Health Committee is scheduled Monday to take up a bill that would limit abortions to cases of medical necessity after 20 weeks of pregnancy, instead of the current 24-week ceiling.
House Bill 1948 would also sharply curtail the use of a common second-trimester abortion technique known as dilation and evacuation, in which the fetus is extracted with tools, their bodies often torn apart in the process.
In many cases, doctors say, it is the safest abortion technique for a mother after the first trimester.
It’s the latest salvo in an effort that has seen hundreds of abortion restrictions enacted in just the last several years. Unlike creating jobs or opportunity, or promoting civil and human rights, this is a top Republican priority. And it is reflected in the proposals of the last supposedly moderate Republican presidential candidate, John Kasich:
Yes on Sunday morning Kasich told on ABC’s This Week that it is up to the states to decide on punishment. Regardless of his beliefs, that stance creates an opportunity for states to create laws that punish doctors or women as they see fit.
“We’re going to leave this up to the states to work this out the way they want to,” said Kasich.
George Stephanopoulos pleaded for him to provide more details, including on whether he’d support punishments for doctors. Kasich refused to answer.
“Today, I’m not. I’ve just told you how I feel about it,” Kasich said, eager to cut off the discussion.
And as horrific as it sounds for Kasich to be open to Trump's proposal to criminalize women who have abortions or doctors who perform the procedure, that's actually less cruel and inhumane than something he already did:
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) on Sunday signed a bill that effectively defunds Planned Parenthood in his state.
The bill strips state and some federal funding from health clinics that perform and promote "nontherapeutic abortions," including Planned Parenthood facilities.
While the bill grants an exemption to abortions performed in cases of rape, incest and preserving the life of the mother, it jeopardizes the fate of other vital women's health programs.
Criminalizing abortion is about sending women or doctors to jail. Defunding Planned Parenthood, and otherwise limiting access to abortion and other health programs, is far worse. Because history proves that for a variety of reasons, women sometimes will be so desperate to terminate pregnancies that they will seek any available means. And history proves that when they terminate pregnancies without having access to medical professionals, many of them will die. What Kasich signed into law, and what Republicans throughout the country are trying to enact, is part of an overall effort to impose capital punishment on women who seek abortions. Just don’t tell anyone.
Of course, nobody pretends that Ted Cruz is a moderate. Trump loves to fulminate from the seat of his pants, but Cruz is a True Believer, a theocratic extremist’s extremist. His stance on reproductive choice is no surprise:
In his final swing through Wisconsin before the state's Tuesday presidential primary, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said states should be allowed to ban abortion even in cases of rape and incest….
He also said he believes the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision is not settled law, calling it an example of judicial activism.
And Cruz certainly knows what the consequences would be. So does House Speaker Paul Ryan:
This disregard for the exigencies of women’s lives … was thrown into high relief during his 1998 run for congress against Democrat Lydia Spottswood. Both candidates backed a ban on so-called “partial-birth abortion,” but Spottswood believed there should be exceptions in cases where a woman’s life or health is endangered. “Ryan said he opposes abortion, period,” reported the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He said any exceptions to a ‘partial-birth’ abortion ban would make that ban meaningless.”
During that campaign, Ryan also expressed his willingness to let states criminally prosecute women who have abortions. According to another Journal Sentinel article, he “would let states decide what criminal penalties would be attached to abortions. Ryan said he’s never specifically advocated jailing women who have abortions or doctors who perform them, but added, ‘If it’s illegal, it’s illegal.’ ”
So-called "partial-birth" abortion usually is about trying to protect the health or life of the pregnant woman, often when the fetus isn't even viable. But to Ryan, the health or life of the pregnant woman is irrelevant.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has a full, rich history of attempting to limit or criminalize reproductive choice, which is part of why he was chosen to be Senate Majority Leader. The Republican Party's 2012 platform calls for a constitutional amendment banning abortion, with no exception for rape or incest. This is the explicit goal of the entire Republican Party.
What does banning abortion mean? When people do something that is banned by law, that usually means there are legal sanctions. Trump merely spoke aloud what is obvious—yet the Republican Party doesn't want anyone to think about. But of course, the Republicans aren't satisfied with mere legal sanctions: They want sanctions that are much more severe. And they really don't want people to think about that, either.
Because the real goal, and the real-life consequence that would become inevitable should the Republicans succeed in banning abortion, would be that many women seeking abortions would die.
