What's behind the enormous wave of state abortion restrictions? The Tea Party

[cali]

<snip>

A wave of state-level activism against abortion rights has been under way for the past 12 years, but it picked up steam in 2011, following the birth of the conservative tea party movement. In the 2010 elections, tea partyers won big in some state legislatures. Though their main focus is fiscal issues, most are also social conservatives – many of them driven to enact abortion restrictions soon after taking office.

In 2011, 92 abortion restrictions were enacted in state legislatures, and in 2012, the number was 43, according to Elizabeth Nash of the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization on reproductive issues.

<snip>

For the larger context, she says, go back to the start of the last decade. In 2000, Guttmacher classified 13 states as being “hostile” to abortion. By 2011, half the states were hostile. To gauge “hostility,” Guttmacher identified 10 classifications of abortion restriction, and if a state reached four of them, it was called hostile.

<snip>

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2013/0404/Alabama-joins-flood-of-states-restricting-abortion.-What-s-behind-this/%28page%29/2

2013 will beat out 2011 for the number of restrictions passed in state legislators. It's only April and it's already on track to do so. In 2012 even more tea party members and supporters were elected to state legislatures.

[n2doc]

1. Until more voters make women's rights their #! issue this will continue

People need to realize that there are significant numbers of voters who will choose based solely on this issue, and they need to be countered at every level.

[cali]

2. You are so right.

It is an excellent point; there is far more passion and determination on the anti-choice side.

[malaise]

3. BS - it's the ReTHUG Party

There is no one elected on behalf of the Tea Party. They are all members of the ReTHUG Party. Let them own their shit.

[cali]

4. that's splitting hairs, but as the article so ably demonstrates

tea party republicans who have been elected over the last few years to state legislatures have been instrumental in this new legislation.

There's no disputing that, but in any case, the fact is that it's happening.

[malaise]

5. It's splitting hairs to allow them to run as ReTHUGs

and then call themselves something else. They are ReTHUGs

[cali]

6. whatever. you seem far more concerned about this petty stuff than

rights being taken away from women.

[malaise]

7. Not at all - it is ReTHUGs who are taking away women's rights

They must not be allowed to have their cake and eat it.

[MadrasT]

8. K&R

[BlueJazz]

9. For me..any Lawmaker or politician who is anti-women-issues is an automatic "Screw You"