We talked last week about new advertising from the left on reproductive rights, including a MoveOn.org Political Action spot from actors Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria, and Kerry Washington that emphasizes Mitt Romney's intentions to see Roe v. Wade overturned.
In response, Concerned Women for America, a long-time leader in the religious right movement, released a curious video that seeks to mimic the actors from a far-right perspective.
The message is a little disjointed, but this right-wing organization that desperately wants to see Roe v. Wade overturned appears to have created a video that says Mitt Romney won't overturn Roe v. Wade.
One of the people in the video, in reference to the "Hollywood women" in the MoveOn ad, asks, "Have they ever heard of the separation of powers?"
I suppose it's worth explaining, then, that a Romney administration would not literally, directly end a Supreme Court precedent. As I suspect Concerned Women for America understands, a Romney administration would place far-right justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, and they would overturn Roe v. Wade.
There are four current justices who are 73 or older. Justice Ginsburg, a leading progressive voice on the court, is the oldest at 79. CWA hopes for a Romney victory precisely because of the future of the Supreme Court and constitutional law.
It seems the organization hopes to airbrush this reality, leaving women voters with the impression that the Roe precedent isn't really in jeopardy since Romney/Ryan couldn't simply wipe it out on their own. But this is silly, predicated on public ignorance, and ironic given CWA's agenda.
"Separation of powers" notwithstanding, Romney wants to overturn Roe; his platform calls for a constitutional amendment that bans all abortions; Romney said he "absolutely" supports a "Personhood" measure that would ban all abortions and some forms of birth control; Romney would be "delighted" to sign a bill that would no longer allow abortions "at all, period"; and Romney intends to "get rid of" Planned Parenthood. From a religious right perspective, this is an agenda CWA should celebrate, not obscure.