ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a summary of empirical results, and then some thoughts of abortion politics in the United States. In the past two years, the Supreme Court has sent important signals to state governments in Webster v. Missouri Reproductive Health Services and in Rust v. Sullivan. If a majority of members of the American public are situationalists with respect to abortion, and if abortion is sometimes an important issue in elections, then it is possible that the campaign rhetoric of political candidates will downplay the "rights" aspect of abortion in favor of the language of compromise. Alternatively, the overturning of Roe may spark an even more heated political controversy, in which interest groups representing the pro-choice and pro-life viewpoints pressure state legislatures. Although a few state legislative contests have hinged on abortion, most Americans know little about the policy positions or votes of their state representatives or senators, including those on the abortion issue.
