Be careful what you ask for
When I moved from California to Wichita, Kan., in the late 1980s, I was frequently reminded that the move would give me 鈥渃ulture shock.鈥�
I tried to ignore folks when they insisted I鈥檇 have difficulty slowing down to the pace of native Wichitans.
I felt I鈥檇 adapted fairly well. But the one thing I hadn鈥檛 been prepared for was the outright strident opposition to abortion that existed in Kansas.
There were anti-abortion billboards everywhere, it seemed.
If there was a ground zero in America蘑菇视频 pro-life movement, it was probably Wichita.
Around that time, Kansas native George Tiller began performing late-term abortions at the medical practice originated by his father.
In 1986, somebody set off a bomb at his clinic.
In 1991, members of the anti-abortion group, Operation Rescue, blockaded three Wichita abortion clinics, including Tiller蘑菇视频.
In 1993, Tiller was shot, but he survived.
In 2009, Tiller was shot. That time he died.
You鈥檇 think that a proposed constitutional amendment put before Kansas voters that would essentially outlaw abortions under any circumstance, may easily win approval.
It didn鈥檛.
Not by a long shot.
Kansas voters voted down the amendment by a whopping 59% to 41% margin.
It was the first solid indication that the U.S. Supreme Court蘑菇视频 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, might be energizing women to fight back against states that would like to outlaw abortions altogether.
There蘑菇视频 been a serious uptick in the number of women registering to vote for the upcoming mid-term elections.
Although, that蘑菇视频 not necessarily across the board.
What should be of concern to Republicans around the country is the fact that women aren鈥檛 registering in higher numbers where there are chances that, for the time being, abortion rights are safe.
There蘑菇视频 no marked increase in North Carolina where there蘑菇视频 a Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, who蘑菇视频 vowed to protect women蘑菇视频 choice.
There蘑菇视频 only been a relatively small increase in the number of new registrations among women in Maine, where abortions are protected.
The same situation exists in New Mexico, where there蘑菇视频 no remarkable gap between new registrations among men and women. In New Mexico, abortions remain mostly unchanged.
After June 24, when the Supreme Court handed down its decision to end Roe v. Wade, many Republicans thought the abortion issue had been settled.
The opposite appears to be happening.
Women across the country have been energized by it.
So much so, that the Republican control of Congress, which had been considered to be a foregone conclusion, may now be in doubt.
Suddenly, some Republicans who were delighted after President Trump named three staunchly conservative nominees to the Supreme Court are now seeing what happens when you鈥檙e not careful what you ask for.
Republicans had hoped to be on the offensive during the run-up to the mid-term elections. They planned to go heavy on the economy, jobs, gas prices, and immigration.
Instead, it appears as if some candidates are playing defense.
Out in Arizona, the Republican candidate trying to unseat Democrat Mark Kelly in the U.S. Senate finds himself in an awkward situation.
It seems Blake Masters got caught backing away from his strident anti-abortion stands.
The message on his website before the state蘑菇视频 primary election was that he was 鈥渦napologetically pro-life.鈥� And that he蘑菇视频 for a 鈥渇ederal personhood鈥� law, which would lead to 鈥渁bsolutely no abortions.鈥�
But since the Supreme Court spoke, and Masters won his primary election, he蘑菇视频 definitely changed his rhetoric.
He蘑菇视频 now supporting a federal 鈥渂an on late-term (third trimester) abortions.鈥�
A decidedly softer approach.
When his campaign was questioned about Masters鈥� change in his stands on abortions, his campaign claims the policy section of his website is, get ready for this, a 鈥渓iving document.鈥�
Masters isn鈥檛 alone. There are some Republicans who are taking a detour around the issue of abortion since it蘑菇视频 become known that many women have become politically active because of it.
In fact, Trump, who loves to take credit for nominating those three justices, doesn鈥檛 seem to mention them much in his current stump speeches.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 50-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.