This is an adapted quote October 27 Episode “Velshi”

As Election Day approaches, Republicans are working hard to distance themselves, their party, and their presidential candidate from what is arguably their most successful. and the most disliked -policy: Roe v. Wade case withdrawn.

You may be hearing a lot of misdirection from the GOP — a lot of talk about how abortion is done “Delivered to the States” or about how the party believes in exceptions to bans. But I’m sure we’re all watching a parade. Horror stories of women suffering and even dying, Deprived of basic health care, Republicans are working towards what is and always has been the ultimate goal of the anti-abortion movement: banning abortion nationwide.

That’s why it’s now more important than ever to watch what they’re doing. To do rather than what they do to say. Because what Republicans are doing now is laying the foundation for a new revolution. draconian federal abortion ban.

Right now, Three Republican attorneys general from Kansas, Idaho and Missouri They are trying to revive a lawsuit challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. This situation is the same Supreme Court dismissed earlier this year Because I can’t stand. In June, the court found that the original plaintiffs, a coalition of anti-abortion groups and doctors, had failed to prove they suffered any harm from the drug’s approval more than 20 years ago.

Initially, Kansas, Idaho and Missouri joined the case as interveners. However, this time, they are re-applying as plaintiffs, claiming that they are suing based on the damages suffered by their state as a result of the approval of the drug.

Kansas’ turnout is particularly surprising, with the largely Republican stateothers have approved abortion rights in a 2022 referendum, We legalize abortion there. But Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, was unimpressed by this little detail about democracy and the expression of the popular will. He writes in a statement, “We are pursuing this case to protect Kansas women.” Never mind that Kansas women support abortion rights, Kobach seems to think they voted wrong.

It’s important to know that these three Republican attorneys general did not file in their home states, where we would naturally expect the case to be heard. Nor do they apply in Maryland, where the FDA is located, or in any other state where the pill is still legally prescribed. Instead, they shoulder a previously dismissed case, hoping to bring it back Same federal judge in Texas Decision suspending approval of Mifepristone was later overturned by the Supreme Court

This is a brazen attempt to find a favorable judge, and when you consider that a judge in Texas could override the will of Kansas voters, it makes the move even more audacious.

“This is clearly a political judge-shopping tactic,” says David S. Cohen, a law professor at Drexel University. he told the New York Times. “If Missouri, Idaho and Kansas are truly harmed by these pills, they should appeal to Missouri, Idaho or Kansas. But they want to go before Judge Kacsmaryk, so they’re trying to piggyback on a case that doesn’t have standing in the first place, and that shouldn’t be allowed.”

Remember, these state attorneys general are re-filing this lawsuit, arguing that their state has been harmed by the availability of abortion drugs, and one of the alleged harms they are citing is due to the widespread availability of the abortion pill mifepristone. Not enough young girls are giving birth. They argue that declining teen pregnancy rates would deprive their states of future citizens and could even cost them a seat in the House of Representatives and federal funding.

I’m not making this up. According to the amended complaint:

These are three Republican men who have eloquently argued that women and girls exist to produce new babies for their states.

Accordingly reproductive rights writer S.P. Rogers:

This is dark stuff. Beyond how inhumane this is for women, the basic logic suggests that the state does not “starve out” of funds when there are no additional citizens to serve. But here we are, faced with arguments claiming that the state has an interest in a woman’s most personal and intimate choices.

Despite Donald Trump’s claims, this was never about restoring states’ rights. It’s about controlling women. Republicans won’t stop until abortion is banned everywhere, so the amended complaint focuses on: Comstock Act, A long-defunct obscenity law that prohibited the mailing of items “for the purpose of preventing conception or inducing abortion.” The 1873 law was passed before women could vote.

despite the truth A note from the Ministry of Justice dated 2022 While most say the law should not be interpreted to criminalize mail-in abortion pills, the amended complaint echoes outdated legislation intended to reverse several FDA rules that expanded access to mifepristone, including removing the in-person visit requirement and allowing mail-in abortion pills.

As more post-Dobbs states moved to ban abortion, telehealth centers in blue states expanded to fill the gap and serve women in these hostile states. Today, The majority of abortions are done with medication often these are prescribed and mailed by telemedicine providers.

When Trump says he won’t pass an abortion ban, it’s because conservatives are relying on the Comstock Act, which has never been officially repealed, to do their dirty work. Project 2025 clearly calls for the revival of this law, Under a Republican administration, this would not only ban medication abortions, but also restrict the supplies used for abortions, making it nearly impossible for clinics in blue states to obtain the equipment needed for surgical abortions.

In other words, the Comstock Act is an effective law. abortion ban. As Election Day approaches, understand that the Republican Party’s goal is to completely ban abortion everywhere. And Republicans won’t stop trying, no matter how many women are harmed or how many die, until they find a friendly court or administration that will support their agenda.

Ali Velşi

Ali Velshi is the host of the program “Velshi”, which airs Saturdays and Sundays on MSNBC. “How Did Wheels Come About?”, about the near-collapse of the American auto industry. He was deemed worthy of the National Pioneer Award in Business and Consumer Reporting for his special program called. Her work on disabled workers and Chicago’s 2016 red light camera scandal earned her two News and Documentary Emmy Award nominations, adding to her 2010 nomination for her coverage of terrorism.

Amel Ahmed And Allison Detzel contributed.