Republican strategists are exploring a shift away from “pro-life” messaging on abortion after consistent Election Day losses for the GOP when reproductive rights were on the ballot.
At a closed-door meeting of Senate Republicans this week, the head of a super PAC closely aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., presented poll results that suggested voters are reacting differently to commonly used terms like “pro-life” and “pro-choice” in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, said several senators who were in the room.
The polling, which NBC News has not independently reviewed, was made available to senators Wednesday by former McConnell aide Steven Law and showed that “pro-life” no longer resonated with voters.
“What intrigued me the most about the results was that ‘pro-choice’ and ‘pro-life’ means something different now, that people see being pro-life as being against all abortions … at all levels,” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said in an interview Thursday.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said the polling made it clear to him that more specificity is needed in talking about abortion.
“Many voters think [‘pro-life’] means you’re for no exceptions in favor of abortion ever, ever, and ‘pro-choice’ now can mean any number of things. So the conversation was mostly oriented around how voters think of those labels, that they’ve shifted. So if you’re going to talk about the issue, you need to be specific,” Hawley said Thursday.
You’re not pro-baby unless you’re for universal post-natal care.
Which they are not.
I’d allow the term pro-fetus but that’s about it.
To be pro-baby they should also be for parental leave at birth, and investment in making early childhood care easier and affordable for everyone.
Is anyone really interested in whether people are pro-baby, given they oppose human rights for women and others who can give birth?
Yes. Language is important. They have co-opted the concept that they are in favor of ‘the life of the fetus’ by calling themselves pro-life. That needs to be countered.
I’m not suggesting we not replace “pro-life.” Language shapes cognition. I’m saying whether they’re “pro-baby” is largely irrelevant, as their voters are doing this to punish women (and other people who can become pregnant) for having sex, not because they care about babies.