Democracy Dies in Darkness

Opinion Busting the filibuster for abortion now is madness

By
Editorial writer and columnist|
July 6, 2022 at 5:43 p.m. EDT
An antiabortion supporter sits behind a sign that advises the Jackson Women's Health Organization clinic is still open in Jackson, Miss., on July 6. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP)
4 min

Democrats hoping to change the rules of the Senate in a futile bid to pass a federal law protecting abortion rights are displaying the most myopic political thinking since liberals called for defunding the police.

Then, as now, their anger was righteous and raw. Millions of Americans took to the streets in the spring of 2020 to protest systemic racism after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But the shortsighted demands to divert resources from law enforcement continue to hobble Democrats who never even embraced the idea. Revising the filibuster will hurt even more in the long term.