I’m “pro-life,” you could say. I was reared in a strictly Catholic household at 216 Geneseo St., and sent to St. Mary’s School in Storm Lake where that regimen was reinforced. I matriculated to an all-men’s college run by priests in the Twin Cities, where I was fully schooled in moral theology.

I came of age as Roe v. Wade was argued, and was frustrated by the result because I still believe that life begins at conception. Over the decades I became accustomed to the truce that the 1972 Supreme Court ruling imposed: Abortion would be legal but limited.

It took me a long time, but eventually I figured out that I was living in a pluralistic society and not just my own cocoon of conservative Northwest Iowa.

It also took some time for me to realize that my male-cloistered view might not be shared by the other half of the population who thinks men like me don’t have a clue. We are told that abortion is merely another means to consequence-free sex, when in fact it is an inviolable matter of health care for women.

So I changed with the recognition that there is no political solution to some problems. I think that abortion should be legal. It should be safe and rare, as Bill Clinton said, and it remains one of the few things I respected about him. If one of my children told me they were getting an abortion, I would try to lovingly steer them away from it (which means they won’t tell me). In the end, I have to support the decision they make with a physician. If I was even remotely successful as a parent, I can know that they are equipped to make a sound moral choice.

Turns out there are a lot of Iowans and Americans like me. That could have political implications in Iowa, as it appears that opinions on abortion are moving toward the “pro-choice” position. A New York Times analysis of several polls over the past year shows that up to 70% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in most circumstances. Also, most of us favor some restrictions, such as late-term abortions unless the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother.

The analysis said there was a decided shift over the last year after Roe v. Wade fell. Several states, including Iowa, passed abortion bans after about six weeks of pregnancy. A week after Dobbs replaced Roe, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that there is no right to abortion inherent in the state constitution. Two weeks ago, on a 3-3 tie, the state high court ruled that a six-week ban signed into law by Gov. Reynolds cannot be enforced because, primarily, she did not appeal a district court ruling in due time.

Reynolds and her Republican colleagues who control the Legislature were quick to pledge that they will ban abortion. Some prominent pro-lifers like Bob Vander Plaats called for a special session. The Legislature could pass a ban the first week of the resumption of its regular session in January. Now, abortion is not an abstract issue in the shadow of Roe, but a live issue in the wake of Dobbs.

In Kansas, voters overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment making abortion legal. Given the polling, the same result would be likely now in Iowa. But that is not the question here. Abortion is not on the ballot. That friendly legislator is.

The pro-life lobby will demand the GOP deliver a new law for the governor’s signature. Republican legislators will face a difficult vote in the face of the latest polling data. That does not mean that Democrats can turn the Iowa Legislature or unseat members of Congress.

Now, I probably will disagree with Rep. Megan Jones, R-Sioux Rapids, and Rep. Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia, on how they vote on abortion. But I like them both. I think I actually might be related to Jones on the Murray side of the family. The Times Pilot endorsed both of them. Jones voted for supporting gay students. Evans voted against private school vouchers. It’s not so simple to say that changing attitudes on banning abortion will result in Republican legislative defeats.

I also used to be a homophobe until I figured out so many of my friends were closet gays. I have a very thick skull. Thirty years ago, I could not imagine talking about gay issues in school. Now I understand it is a life-or-death issue. It’s horrible the way we’re treating an entire class of citizens.

In Kansas, they elected a Democratic governor when budget cuts caused schools to crumble.

Abortion will be a leading issue in 2024 Statehouse races, but not around here. The battle will take place around Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Davenport and Waterloo. It will take more than abortion — gay bashing, book banning, cuts to K-12 schools, increasing tuition at public universities — for Republicans to lose their undisturbed grip on power in Iowa.

Abortion remains the glue that holds the GOP base together, while at odds with general public sentiment. It is the soft political underbelly, but abortion is not alone the issue that can turn Iowa politics away from a hard-right lurch.

——

Art Cullen is editor of the Storm Lake Times Pilot, where this column first appeared, as well as Art Cullen’s Notebook on Substack.