Deadline Poet / September 19, 2023

Dropping the “Pro-Life”

Calvin Trillin
WASHINGTON—Republican strategists are exploring a shift away from
“pro-life” messaging on abortion after consistent Election Day losses
for the GOP when reproductive rights were on the ballot.—NBC News

To win elections some have said that maybe
They ought to change to something like “pro-baby.”
Their policies would need not be impeded.
It’s just some shrewd rebranding that is needed.

Calvin Trillin

Calvin Trillin is The Nation’s “deadline poet.”

More from The Nation

ICE Brings Shame To America

ICE Brings Shame To America ICE Brings Shame To America

Trump’s secret police force is a stain on our country.

OppArt / Dario Castillejos

Minnesota Made Trump Blink

Minnesota Made Trump Blink Minnesota Made Trump Blink

But Tom Homan is a lying liar, and the work’s not done. Plus, Gallup’s sketchy new polling policy (is the analytics firm in the Trump tank?), the law for deepfakes, and more in th...

Elie Mystal

Best Bondi-Own of the Day

Best Bondi-Own of the Day Best Bondi-Own of the Day

Lots of Lutnick.

Steve Brodner

President Donald Trump departs after making an announcement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 12, 2026.

The Republican Crack-Up Has Begun The Republican Crack-Up Has Begun

Even conservatives are fleeing the GOP as more and more Americans turn against Trump’s authoritarian project.

Column / Sasha Abramsky

Gaza Beach 2030

Gaza Beach 2030 Gaza Beach 2030

A genocide comes to light.

OppArt / Peter de Wit

The Antidemocratic Zealots Presiding Over Trump’s Makeover of US History

The Antidemocratic Zealots Presiding Over Trump’s Makeover of US History The Antidemocratic Zealots Presiding Over Trump’s Makeover of US History

The administration’s sketchily funded Freedom 250 project, which will oversee the celebration of America’s semiquincentennial, is a pageant of right-wing extremism.

Toni Aguilar Rosenthal