The structure of the U.S. political system prevents the will of a feminist, multiracial majority from being reflected in the policies most Americans want from their government.
About two dozen states ushered in a new era of abortion bans after the Supreme Court overturned decades of precedent and abolished the constitutional right to abortion. Now, even more extreme policies are the new reality, with the Alabama Supreme Court banning IVF. Just last month, the Supreme Court heard arguments about whether people in medical emergencies in states where abortion is banned can be prevented from receiving life-saving care. And it will continue to get worse.
continue, Dobbs In response to the ruling, abortion advocates turned to ballot initiatives to protect or expand access to abortion in states across the country. These measures are an important way for voters to express their will and secure their rights in the face of ongoing attacks. But the fact that voters cannot rely on their elected representatives and must rely on ballot initiatives highlights a powerful truth about America today. In other words, the structure of our political system prevents the will of a feminist, multiracial majority from being reflected in society. Policies that most Americans want from their government, such as access to legal abortion.
Most Americans want abortion to be safe and legal. About two-thirds (65 percent) oppose the Supreme Court’s decision in 2022. Dobbs, and 62% think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. In a functioning democracy, government policy will reflect this popular support. But our political system—our governing bodies and electoral rules—has failed to translate the strong public support for legal abortion into policy.
Most Americans will live under state governments whose abortion policies do not reflect the will of a majority of the state’s voters.
There are many reasons why our political systems fail us, from routine voter suppression to weak campaign finance laws. But the root of the problem is the structural bias at the heart of our outdated political system.
The U.S. Senate is perhaps the most outdated and structurally biased part of the U.S. political system, and is a key reason why abortion policy is so far out of sync with the views of American voters. Its structure has remained unchanged since its founding in 1787, with the Senate giving grossly disproportionate power to smaller, whiter and more conservative states, giving Wyoming’s 579,000 voters to California’s It gives him the same amount of power as his 39 million voters. This is a serious violation of the principles of the House of Lords. “One person, one vote.”
This unequal structure has real implications for abortion policy. An examination of more than 900 votes from 1961 to 2019 found that the Senate systematically biased policy outcomes, including abortion policy, in favor of conservatives. If the Senate had been reapportioned to more closely align with the fundamental principle of one person, one vote, abortion bills during this period would have received an average of seven more votes in the U.S. Senate and would have increased the impact on Americans’ freedoms, rights, and care. Access would have been protected. .
There is also systemic bias in state legislatures, with state policies out of sync with public support for abortion rights. A study by Jake Grumbach and Christopher Warshaw shows that a majority of Americans support legal abortion rights in about 40 states, but intentional gerrymandering and structural We find that distortions result in most Americans living under state governments that do not follow abortion policies. It reflects the will of the majority of voters in the state.
It is no accident of history that our political system has failed to reflect the majority of Americans who support abortion rights. Despite the changes we have made over the past 236 years, our system of governance remains based on the prejudices, compromises, and limits of imagination of that time. The system was created by wealthy white men whose interests and ideology did not allow for the participation of women, non-whites, or working-class men at a time when the very concept of self-government had a very different meaning than it does today. , and was created for that purpose. . And now, in 2024, nearly every part of our governance system is structured in a way that prevents popular governance.
Most Americans support abortion rights. But the fact that we rely on voting efforts to protect and expand access to abortion to translate that support into policy means that we, not our elected representatives, should be called upon to expand the fight. The millions of us who have been marching, speaking out, and demanding to be heard for decades can no longer operate as if our current political system works. is. We need to repair the cracks in the foundations of our political system to secure the rights and freedoms and get the government we expect and deserve.
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American democracy is at a dangerous tipping point, from the end of abortion rights, to lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality rates, to attacks on trans health. Left unaddressed, these crises will only widen the gap in political participation and representation. For 50 years, M.S.. has built feminist journalism, reporting from the front lines, insurrection, telling the truth, defending the Equal Rights Amendment, and centering the stories of those most affected. With equality at stake, we step up our efforts for the next 50 years. then we need your help, support M.S..Please donate today in any amount that makes sense to you.. For just $5 a month, receive the print magazine along with e-newsletters, action alerts, and invitations to . M.S..Studio events and podcasts. we appreciate your loyalty and ferocity.
