Summary

Re-federalizing abortion law through legislation, as many people on both sides of the aisle advocate, would be a huge mistake. In our federalist system, abortion policy belongs with the states.

Recommendations

Keep abortion policy in the state capitals where it belongs.

Background

Regardless of one’s personal views on abortion, it should be clear that the Roe vs. Wade decision was disastrous for our country. It polarized society for 50 years. It froze the law at a time when medicine didn't have a detailed understanding about what happens in the womb during a pregnancy. And it stalled the process of states working out the legal complexities of abortion themselves.

Now that Roe has been overturned, Democrats are pushing federal legislation to make abortion legal nationwide. Some Republicans are advocating federal legislation to restrict abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which would give America comparable laws to most European countries. But re-federalizing abortion law would be a huge mistake.

Under America’s federalist system, matters of life and death are not generally in the jurisdiction of the federal government. They are the responsibilities of each state.

The legal definition of when death begins is decided by each state. And those laws change as medical knowledge progresses. Laws regarding taking a human life are also defined by each state. And those laws vary widely across the country. So, it is appropriate that abortion laws be decided by the states as well.

We don’t need any more political polarization by having the federal government force a one-size-fits-all law across our country. I will fight to keep abortion policy in the state capitals where it belongs.