REFLECTIONS ON ABORTION POLITICS IN THE NEW RIGHT-WING AMERICA*

Abstract

What lies ahead for the longstanding politics of abortion in the United States now that a constitutional right to abortion has ended and—more generally—conservative politics have been consumed by the rise of the MAGA movement led by Donald Trump? I contextualize the state of abortion politics today within the larger half-century history of the battle over the issue by identifying four stages of abortion politics. I then offer some observations on the key political maneuvers that made the overthrow of Roe v. Wade possible. Finally, I outline how the central questions for the future of abortion lie at the intersection of the pro-life movement, the Republican Party, and the MAGA movement.