Top Republicans—Trump, McCarthy, DeSantis And Greene—All Keep Quiet On Abortion Drug Ban

Topline

Most top Republican lawmakers stayed silent following a Texas court’s decision Friday that could block access to the abortion pill mifepristone, as the Republican Party appears to avoid discussing abortion in the wake of a string of election losses—while Democrats repeatedly have leaned on the topic following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade last year.

Former President Donald Trump has not commented on the ruling.

Key Facts

Former President Donald Trump has not yet commented on the ruling, though he has said on his social media site Truth Social the “abortion issue” was “poorly handled” by Republicans prior to last year’s midterm elections, causing Democrats to gain a majority in the House after Republicans predicted a “red wave.”

House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has not released a statement on social media or through his office, after suggesting last year Republicans would promote more anti-abortion legislation and said a decision to reverse Roe v. Wade was “the most important pro-life ruling in American history.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) has not released a statement on social media or through his press office.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has also not commented on the Texas court’s decision, though he previously said he wanted to sign “great life legislation” and more abortion restrictions.

Neither Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) nor Sen. John Coryn (R-Tex.) commented on the Texas judge’s ruling, though both have been fervently anti-abortion.

Conservative firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene—who celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision in a video posted to Twitter—did not post a response on social media to District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s ruling.

Big Number

60%. That’s the percentage of people who said they were angry or dissatisfied with the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade while voting in the midterm elections, according to a poll by the Associated Press.

Contra

The few high-profile Republicans who have commented on the ruling include Vice President Mike Pence, who said “life won again today,” according to Bloomberg, and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), who suggested on Twitter the ruling was “a victory for pregnant mothers and their unborn children.”

Chief Critic

Most top Democrats responded to the ruling, following a call by President Joe Biden, who said his administration “will fight” against it. Vice President Kamala Harris said the ruling “threatens the rights of women nationwide,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) said the ruling was a “massive step towards Republicans’ goal of a nationwide abortion ban and could throw our country into chaos,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told CNN the ruling is part of an “unprecedented and dramatic erosion of the legitimacy of the courts,” and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) said the ruling was “truly shocking.”

Key Background

The Republican Party has voiced opposition to abortion rights for decades, leading to the Supreme Court’s conservative majority overruling Roe last year—sparking protests across the U.S. Biden said “Republicans have awakened a powerful force in this country” after the Supreme Court’s reversal and subsequent votes in a number of states to ban abortion. David Shor, a political data analyst, told The Guardian that abortion rights have become “absolutely instrumental” for Democrats in recent elections—specifically the midterms. Some Republicans have replaced sections that discussed abortion from their websites, according to the New York Times, as politicians shifted their focus toward conversations on inflation, crime and border control. Jon Schweppe, policy director for the conservative American Principles Project, told the New York Sun that “Republicans have been spooked, so a lot of them are saying nothing” about abortion.

Tangent

Liberal-leaning Judge Janet Prostasiewicz beat out conservative Dan Kelly for a seat on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court earlier this week, granting the court its first liberal majority in over a decade. Prostasiewicz leaned heavily on abortion rights during her campaign, suggesting she would strike down an abortion ban in the state.