Brett Kavanaugh could shatter the alliance between the GOP and the antiabortion movement
Overturning Roe v. Wade would leave little to unite Republicans and their longtime allies.
By Mary Ziegler
September 4
Brett M. Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing is a triumphant moment for both the Republican Party and its social movement allies, especially antiabortion organizations. For years, these groups have built a strategic alliance with the GOP. This partnership centers on activists’ hope that Republican presidents would nominate Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade. After the first day of Kavanaugh’s hearings, the marriage between the Republican Party and the antiabortion movement seems closer than ever.
But if a post-Kavanaugh court overturns Roe, this alliance could fracture, costing the GOP the loyalty of antiabortion voters.