The Alabama Embryo Ruling is Forcing a Conversation that Republicans Don't Want
They’re being rational, and that’s the problem
If you’re unfamiliar with the term “wedge issue”, a wedge issue is a topic that a politician would jump into an ice crevice to avoid. These issues drive a wedge into a politician’s coalition: Half of their supporters think thing A, but half think thing B, so the politician is guaranteed to piss people off if they say anything at all. And that’s why you’ll often find politicians ducking into cars and jumping down empty elevator shafts to avoid talking about wedge issues. The glee that a politician feels when they successfully avoid discussing a wedge issue is best captured by this three act drama from 2022 starring Lisa Murkowski.
Murkowski was running from questions about abortion. The Dobbs decision had just been leaked, and Republicans’ views on abortion are not widely shared. 61 percent of Americans think that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 60 percent of Republicans think it should be illegal in all or most cases. Views on in vitro fertilization — the subject of the recent ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court — are even worse for Republicans: 66 percent of Americans oppose the Court’s ruling, including 45 percent who “strongly oppose”. In fact, this IVF ruling seems to be The Wedge Issue From Hell1 for Republicans — look at these numbers:
49 percent of Republicans think one thing and 49 percent think the opposite thing! Meanwhile 2/3 of the general public — including 2/3 of independents — are on the Democrats’ side. If I was a Republican flak, my recommended talking point when IVF comes up would be: “ACK, (gasp!) — my heart! Someone call an ambulance!” Because this topic is radioactive for the GOP.
Or course, this was inevitable: Republicans were going to have to talk about IVF at some point. Because once you have the views on reproduction that many Republicans have, restricting IVF is a logical and even necessary next step.