Listen to Mark Robinson

On Monday, Donald Trump announced that he has changed his position from advocating a 16-week national ban on abortion to leaving the matter to the states. As if to answer him, on Tuesday, the GOP-controlled Arizona Supreme Court announced that it would allow a total ban on abortion in the state based on a law passed in 1864.The 2024 election is going to be the Abortion Election. 

Here in North Carolina, gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson has repeatedly voiced his support for a ban on abortion. When he was running for lieutenant governor in 2020, he said, “For me, there is no compromise on abortion. It makes no difference to me why or how that child ended up in that womb.” Before that, he referred to abortion as “murder” and “genocide” in Facebook posts. His handlers have been trying to downplay Robinson’s stance on a ban, but just two months ago, he told an audience, “We’ve got it down to 12 weeks. The next goal is to get it down to 6, and then just keep moving from there…”

Robinson is not alone. Other Republican candidates in North Carolina also support a ban on abortion. Supreme Court nominee Jefferson Griffin signed a court decision that states, “life begins at conception.” Of the 17 Congressional candidates endorsed by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an organization that supports a national ban, four are from North Carolina, including House Speaker Tim Moore.

Republican campaign operatives are trying to downplay the issue. They’ve told Robinson not to talk about abortion. Last year, he told WFAE “I'm not interested in talking about abortion anymore.” Last month, GOP Senate President Pro-tem Phil Berger told reporters he doesn’t see substantial changes to the 12-week ban. 

Don’t believe them. Before Republicans took control of the legislature, they derided Democratic claims that they would cuts funds to public universities as scare tactics. Once they took power, they dramatically cut funding. When they pushed through their voucher scheme, they claimed it was only to help poor families attend private schools. Last year, they allowed millionaires to apply for vouchers while defunding public schools.

Now, they’re telling us that they won’t ban abortion in the state, even though Mark Robinson claims he will. Believe Robinson, not the campaign operatives.

Republicans are running scared. Women’s right to control their bodies has broad support across demographics and ideologies. We’ve seen the result in special elections over the past year and the muting of the predicted red wave in 2022. After that election, many conservatives argued the issued only had saliency in states where it was literally on the ballot in the form of a referendum or constitutional amendment. Now, as Arizona showed us, it’s on the ballot everywhere.

National anti-choice organizations are openly pushing a federal ban. Mark Robinson said he wants to ban abortion with no exceptions. The GOP Supreme Court nominee Jefferson Griffin says life begins at conception. Much of the GOP Congressional delegation will be backed by organizations calling for a national ban. Listen to them—and be very afraid.