The two sides are growing further apart on abortion. We can thank Donald Trump.
Why states are adopting more extreme abortion policies.

By Mary Ziegler
April 1, 2019

In recent weeks, Republican lawmakers nationwide seemed to have upped the ante when it comes to abortion, passing “heartbeat bills” — laws prohibiting abortion when doctors can detect a fetal heartbeat, usually around the sixth week of pregnancy — and triggering legislation that will criminalize abortions as soon as the Supreme Court gives the green light.

What is going on? The New York Times editorial board recently suggested that state legislatures had run out of other restrictions to pass. But antiabortion lawyers have never had a problem coming up with new incremental laws. Understood in historical context, the complete story behind the rise of heartbeat laws is more complex and tells us how much the politics of abortion have changed in the past few years.

Continued: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/04/01/two-sides-are-growing-further-apart-abortion-we-can-thank-donald-trump/?utm_term=.5740db8d04fc