But the Supreme Court will not allow any such consensus to form or new state laws to be passed restricting even the most gruesome form of abortion at the moment of birth. Such is the legacy of Roe. A similar point was made by Justice Antonin Scalia. Justice Clarence Thomas accused the court of applying a totally different set of standards to abortion than it applies to all other questions that come before it. So now abortion has become a major presidential campaign issue.
Polls show opinion on abortion, though still conflicted, is heading in a pro-life direction.
A new Los Angeles Times Poll found support for Roe has declined to 43 percent, from 56 percent as recently as 1991. Sixty-five percent said abortions should be illegal in the second trimester. He can accuse the Democrats of being extremists, because most people believe this procedure to be extreme. Help is available for women with problem pregnancies. Now all the women and babies need is someone to speak for them.