I suppose everyone else already figured this out; I don't believe the rethugs really care that much about abortion

[captain queeg]

It’s just a hot button for them to lock in a lot of votes. And churches are a great way to squirrel away and launder money. Oppressing women of course is a great side benefit.

[Walleye]

1. They spent 50 years opposing it and the last two years running away from it. Classic can of worms

[Johnny2X2X]

2. I used to think that too

But I think they've been preaching it for so long that there are enough true believers in power now to institute the most draconian abortion bans imagineable. Look what they tried to do in South Carolina, I believe that will happen nationwide if tehy get the power to do so.

[A HERETIC I AM]

3. I think you're wrong and they care very much about it.

Here’s why;

The conservative powers that be have known for decades that they are on the losing side demographically. They can not win a fair and open election unless they cheat, hence all the efforts to hinder or reduce voter turnout in tight districts. You never see any of the voter suppression tactics in Utah, for example and Utah has early voting, mail-in and multiple polling places per district. It’s solidly red, so they let them do what they want. It’s only in areas where their hold on political power depends on fewer black people voting and fewer smart young people voting (college students) where we see the suppression tactics.

But nationwide they re losing ground and have been forever.

So…how do they fix that? By forcing more women to make more babies, preferably white ones and also, preferably poor and from the poorly educated. This ties in to the efforts to degrade public education and promote religious schools and sectarian education.

A whole brand new generation of dumb, white voters lacking in critical thinking skills that are much more likely to vote Republican is what they need in order to maintain even a close second in the grand scheme.

Oh they want to do away with abortion alright, but it has nothing to do with being pro-life (we all know that). It has to do with making sure nothing changes for the rich in this country so they can continue to get richer and continue to screw over the populace.

They need more dumb white folks to make that a reality.

[TSExile]

4. If they really cared...

...they would pass more legislation - paid leave, food security, etc. But no. They don't give a crap about babies. With overturning Roe, they got to have their cake and eat it, too. They get to control women - even to the point of death - and they get to stiff the poor as well. "Pro-life" party??? HA!!!

[Blue Owl]

5. Only a small percentage of extreme Xtian Fundy whackos do...

Like the ones you see outside the PP centers with the signs -- they like to make it their pet issue. But I agree that more 'mainstream' GOPers do not care as deeply....

[Deep State Witch]

6. That Used To Be True

But, since Bush the Younger, there has been a marked turn in the Republican party towards the evangelical "true believers" that want to see abortion outlawed. (Lumping conservative Catholics in with this group.) 9/11 really brought in new blood to the evangelical movement, and the old ones are getting more desperate to ban abortion before they die off. People like Mike Pence, Samuel Alito, and Josh Hawley are the ones that I'm thinking of.