Justices take a hands-off pose; the GOP should do likewise

In refusing to hear another controversial abortion case, the U.S. Supreme Court this week signaled that a solid majority of the justices are unwilling to permit further restrictions on abortion and want to withdraw from the fray. In so doing, the court reflects the views of most Americans on this enduringly divisive issue. Republican leaders, take note.

Four years ago, the Supreme Court affirmed the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling that gave pregnant women the right to choose abortion. Until then, the court had gradually allowed more restrictions on abortion, indicating that a majority might well vote to overturn the abortion right. But by a 5-4 vote, the court in the 1992 decision said that states cannot put an “undue burden” on a woman who seeks an abortion. The court now apparently wants to put the matter to rest for awhile.

Not so the Republican Party, which is locked in the same endless battle. The GOP party platform still reflects an extremist position, advocating a constitutional amendment banning abortion under all circumstances. Yet public opinion polls indicate that most Americans, including most Republican voters--while deeply ambivalent and divided over the morality of abortion--oppose such government interference in their lives on this matter.

Gov. Pete Wilson’s call this week for removing the anti-abortion plank, coming after Pat Buchanan’s vow earlier this year to insist on its inclusion, ensures that the GOP is headed for another major dust-up on abortion. That showdown is certain to cost the party votes. A gender gap already plagues Republicans; in one major poll, women who felt the nation was on the wrong track nonetheless disproportionally favored Bill Clinton over Sen. Bob Dole in the presidential race. A bruising fight over abortion can only hurt the GOP further. Abortion ought not to be a driving force for either party. Many problems worry Americans far more.