Arizona's anti-abortion congressmen earn an A+ in bluster and an F for guts

It must be a strange and terrible thing to stand up in public, proud, unafraid, feeling very much a part of a morally committed, iron-clad collective of like-minded individuals boldly proclaiming victory for a cause you believe to be bigger than politics or personal ambition and then to turn around and see … nobody.

I’m guessing that’s how Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life American President Majorie Dannenfelser felt on Tuesday after the Arizona Supreme Court reinstated a dark-ages abortion ban instituted by Arizona decades before the territory became a state.

“We celebrate this enormous victory for unborn children and their mothers,” Dannenfelser said in part, adding, “Today’s state Supreme Court decision is a major advancement in the fight for life in Arizona.”

Actually, it seemed more like a retreat.

Where were Arizona's A+ congressmen?

And it must have seemed very peculiar to Dannenfelser, who probably believed that hers is one of the few causes for which a person’s resolve is not tempered by personal political concerns.

Or shaken by the thought of losing a few votes. Or maybe a lot. Or maybe an election.

Then she turned around and saw … nothing.

Dannenfelser’s organization rates lawmakers on their commitment to the anti-abortion movement, and Arizona’s Republican members of Congress all earned either an A or an A+.

Don't buy Kari Lake's concern:Over abortion ruling

They all should have been elated by the state Supreme Court’s draconian attack on women’s reproductive health. They’ve all pushed for greater and greater restrictions for years.

They should have had Dannenfelser’s back.

Ciscomani called abortion ruling a 'disaster'

But it is a difficult thing for the spinless to have another’s back. Although, perhaps they did and we couldn’t quite see them.

They may have been way, way, way back there. Like spotting them required binoculars. Or a telescope.

Rep. Andy Biggs earned an A from SBA Pro-Life. Rep. Paul Gosar got an A+. So, too, did Rep. Debbie Lesko. Rep. Eli Crane scored an A.

Strangely, Rep. Juan Cicsomani, who received an A+ from the anti-abortion zealots, called the Arizona ruling a “disaster for women and providers.”

Hmm. But he’d been such a loyal supporter.

Voters grade politicians pass/fail

The same is true of Rep. David Schweikert. He received an A+ from Dannenfelser’s anti-abortion warriors, but instead of standing behind Dannenfelser and cheering her on, he came out with a statement on X, formerly Twitter, reading, “This issue should be decided by Arizonans, not legislated from the bench. I encourage the state legislature to address this issue immediately.”

A light was shined on the court’s dark decision and the cockroaches skittered under the baseboard.

Voters, unlike anti-abortion groups, don’t hand out letter grades.

Waffling politicians like Schweikert and Cicsomani will be matched against opponents and evaluated by voters in simpler terms:

Pass. Or fail.

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

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