The Man in the Arena

“Thomas Stovall grew up in a strict Baptist family in Mississippi and always believed that anyone involved with abortion was destined for hell. But his lifelong conviction crumbled when his wife, Chelsea, was 20 weeks pregnant with their third child. Tests showed a severely malformed and underdeveloped fetus, one that was sure to be stillborn if carried to term. There was other devastating news, too. Continuing with the pregnancy could threaten Chelsea’s health and future fertility, doctors warned.” Thomas and Chelsea live in Arkansas where abortion is essentially banned. They had to drive 400 miles to get health care. Following the couple’s experience, Thomas Stovall “began knocking on doors, hoping to change other men’s minds and help get an abortion measure on the state ballot this fall.” Because of increasingly strict abortion bans in many states, we’re hearing a lot more stories about women who are being denied direly needed health care. The overturning of Roe and the quick adoption of new restrictions has turned abortion into a top election issue, and because it’s on the ballot in so many states, it could be a decisive issue. (Which is why you’re seeing one candidate feverishly trying to change his position on the topic.) When it comes to the public debate, the voices you’re hearing are not only women. WaPo (Gift Article): A louder voice in fighting abortion bans: Men in red states. “The results of the latest Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that 1 in 5 men called abortion a top voting issue for them this year.”