The Daily

On Abortion Laws, It All Goes Back to 2010

Jul 11, 2022

In this discussion, Kate Zernike, a political reporter for The New York Times, delves into the pivotal events of 2010 that shaped abortion laws in America. She highlights how the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was linked to the rise of hardline Republican legislators. The conversation explores the shift in the pro-life movement and the strategic political maneuvers, including gerrymandering, that allowed conservative factions to impose restrictive legislation, significantly altering public access to abortion services.

22:51

Creator website

Episode guests

Kate Zernike

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Episode notes

Intro

3min

Shifting Tides: The Pro-Life Movement Post-2010

5min

Erosion of Abortion Rights

6min

Strategic Redistricting: The Republican Advantage Post-2010

2min

Gerrymandering and Abortion Laws

8min

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the court’s conservative majority argued it was simply handing the question of abortion to the states and their voters to decide for themselves.

But in reality, the court was ensuring that many states, from Arizona to Ohio, would immediately ban the procedure without much debate, because their legislatures are now dominated by hard-line Republicans. Today, we tell the story of how those Republican legislators achieved that dominance.

Guest: Kate Zernike, a political reporter for The New York Times.

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Background reading:

How the beginning of the end of Roe v. Wade arrived on election night in November 2010.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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