Impolite Company: How Trump’s stance on Abortion demonstrates the Pro-Life Movement is losing the narrative
On January 22, 1973, many people were shocked when the Supreme Court mandated that abortions must be provided across the United States, but also that a woman had a “Constitutional Right” to terminate her pregnancy. This startling “discovery” of this so-called right, discovered 197 years after the Founding of America seemed to go completely against the rights articulated in the Founding. In America, it was fundamentally understood that “All Mankind were endowed with the Right to Life.” The Roe V Wade decision galvanized the Pro-Life movement into existence, and within the first two years of the decision, Pro-Life organizations sprung up in all 50 States. For 49 years, a coalition of Conservative Republicans, Evangelical Christians, and Roman Catholics locked arms and fought against the decision. In 2022, the Supreme Court, now comprised of a “Conservative majority” of six Republican-appointed justices struck down Roe V Wade in the landmark case of Dobbs V Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
The moment the decision was officially made was the equivalent of Luke Skywalker’s proton torpedo destroying the Death Star and offering the Pro-Life Movement with New Hope. The long-sought-after result sent shockwaves across the American Civil Body, and the Democratic Pro-Choice coalition swore to reverse the decision. Conservatives had little time to celebrate, for just like in the Star Wars movies, The Empire was about to Strike Back. In the two years after the Dobbs decision, support for the institution of abortion increased anywhere from 10-15 points in political opinion polls depending on the state. Referendums conducted in the States of Kansas, Montana, California, Vermont, Michigan, Kentucky, and Ohio, all led to the codifying of the State Constitution a “right” to an abortion.
Of the seven States mentioned above, four of them (Kansas, Montana, Kentucky, and Ohio) are all solid Red States in Presidential politics. Michigan, while traditionally a Blue State, is technically a swing state, and has traditionally had a Republican-controlled State Legislature, although that has flipped since the Dobbs decision. The Swing State of Wisconsin, (Michigan’s neighbor) flipped the partisan make-up of the State Supreme Court with the Democratic Justice running on the issue of ensuring a “right” to an abortion in the State.
On Monday, April 8th, 2024, Donald Trump, the GOP nominee for President finally came out and made a policy speech regarding his stance on abortion. Trump punted and said in essence that it was up to each individual, and ultimately the States themselves on whether or not abortion should be legal.
“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both. And whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state. Many states will be different, many will have a different number of weeks, or some will be more conservative than others, and that’s what they will be.
At the end of the day. This is all about the will of the people. You must follow your heart or in many cases, your religion or your faith. Do what’s right for your family and do what’s right for yourself. Do what’s right for your children, do what’s right for our country, and vote; so important to vote. At the end of the day. It’s all about the will of the people. That’s where we are right now. And that’s what we want, the will of the people. “ Donald Trump
Ask yourself this question: when was the last time that the GOP nominee for President took such a soft position on abortion? This clearly demonstrates the fragile position that the Republican Party is in regarding abortion. The GOP has lost the narrative, and to avoid an electoral bloodbath, Trump took the position that he did, which is remarkably similar to the Popular Sovereignty approach to Slavery that the Democrats like Stephen Douglas put forth as a policy in the 1850s.
As much as Conservatives may wish their candidate to take a principled position on something as fundamental to Americanism as the Right to Life, “politics is the art of the possible” as Otto Von Bismark reminds us. What we need to do is to win back the narrative, and the way to do so is through storytelling and media. Conservatives need to get back into the battle for our culture.
Conservatives have ceded much ground in the culture, K-12 Education, the Academy, and the Arts to include music, film, TV, and the useful sciences as well. We’ve ceded so much territory, that it makes one wonder “What exactly are we conserving if not our own culture?”. Think about what we are up against. For almost 50 years, everyone in America was told that a woman has “a right” to an abortion. That is deeply ingrained into the collective psyche of all Americans, even the Conservatives who don’t believe that.
If Conservatives wish to win back the narrative, story-telling and open dialogue are our best hopes. This author doesn’t like to just opine on the problems facing America, but rather, provide solutions. The solution is simple, we win back the narrative by making Conservative films that tackle the tough topics of our day. Hollywood is not going to represent our portion of the civil discourse; we must do it.
In addition to my monthly column at Dockline Magazine, I also host a political podcast entitled The Scott Wingerter Show. What many probably aren’t aware of is that for the past two years, I have been working as a producer and director for Six Pence Productions. We are in the preproduction for In The Shadow of High Places, a TV Miniseries that directly tackles the theme of life and death and focuses on the issue of Abortion. Six Pence Productions has a team of people who have decades of experience in TV and Film, and we are proud to announce that we have officially attached Kevin Sorbo, and his son Braeden Sorbo for roles in the show.
Six Pence Productions has been working on this project since June of 2023, and we have made tremendous progress, but we are at the stage where we need help. We are trying to raise our initial fundraising goal of $8,000 to produce a high-quality 90-second trailer. The Trailer will demonstrate to investors that the production company can produce a high-quality HBO-like series, and that it is worth investing in. If you are serious about winning back the narrative, if you want to conserve our culture and pass it on to your kids and grandkids, then please consider partnering with us in this endeavor. Please go to https://www.givesendgo.com/highplaces to help us make this important film, and win back the narrative for the next generation.