Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit
Because it was a critical fundraising topic for decades (on both sides, to be fair).

I don't exactly know how much of national politics is optimizing for fundraising rather than for making citizens' lives better, but it's clearly far too great.

More and more clearly.
Woah this is a very interesting point
conspiracies are not "very interesting point[s]"

The reality is that:

1. Abortion has always been one of the most divisive topics in the US

2. Roe vs. Wade to begin with was a very shaky legal hodgepodge based around right to privacy

3. Codifying something like that takes immense political might and public approval neither of which existed in a significant capacity

It’s not that divisive outside the political class.

60+% majorities have supported abortion as a right until near the end of the second trimester, and for the health of the mother after that (for 30+ years).

That is not the case. Support drops well below a majority after the first trimester, and always has.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/321143/americans-stand-abortion....