Introduction
There has been a heated debate on abortion in the United States for many years. The two major political parties in the United States, the Democrats and the Republicans, have had to contradict opinions about abortion. On the one hand, Democrats have had a history of showing heightened support for abortion by claiming that it should always remain legal. On the other hand, the Republicans have had mixed reactions towards abortion, with most opposing it and demanding that it should only be legalized under particular conditions. As a result of the divided opinions and viewpoints concerning abortion, it has become a political issue that the two major political parties in the United States utilize to seek votes from the voters. This paper explores various leadership issues that emanate from banning abortion and how and which leaders deal with these concerns and also evaluates the affairs based on leadership theories before offering potent recommendations.
Leadership Issues Presented in the Article
The article “Republicans Begin Adjusting to a Fierce Abortion Backlash” presents several leadership issues revolving around the issue of abortion. The first leadership issue prevalent in the article is the handling of different perspectives. Legalizing or illegalizing abortion in the United States has been characterized by heated debates, where leaders have raised divergent and contradicting opinions. The Democrats have remained the proponents of the legalization of abortion for many years. Republicans have been the proponents of the issue of abortion (Welsman & Glueck, 2022). As a result of the debate on abortion, several laws have been enacted to guide the issue of abortion. In some states, abortion has been illegalized, while in others, it has been made legal but under certain conditions. Since Democrats seem to have a competitive advantage over Republicans due to their support for the legalization of abortion, Republicans have lessened their stance toward the illegalization of abortion.
Therefore, the leaders have had divergent perspectives on abortion in the country. For instance, Nancy Mace, a Republican in South Carolina, has shown her support for the legalization of abortion. She claims that if even abortion is banned in the country, some exceptions should allow women to proceed with abortion if necessary. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has also given his opinion on abortion. Although the governor had remained silent concerning the issue of abortion, he finally gave his opinion and showed his support for the legalization of abortion (Welsman & Glueck, 2022). The shifting of opinions and viewpoints of the Democratic and Republican leaders has become a leadership issue because supporting the issue of legalization of abortion has been described as a way of luring the voters to support them.
Another leadership issue that is prevalent in the article is fear of failure. Although the issue of abortion in the United States remains one of the weightiest issues, with a high possibility of affecting the well-being of the people, it has been entirely politicized. Leaders have failed to hold on to their standpoints for fear of losing the elective seats. Most leaders have been forced to move with the opinion of the people. For instance, the overwhelming voting in Kansas supporting the legalization of abortion has made many leaders change their opinions about abortion (Welsman & Glueck, 2022). Since Democrats have gained more popularity among the citizens than Republicans due to their support for the legalization of abortion, Republicans have been forced to reconsider their strong standpoints toward banning abortion. This change in opinions and standpoints shows that the issue of abortion is a significant determiner of who wins and who loses in the United States elections.
Dealing with the Leadership Issues
Leaders that Must Deal with the Issues
The issue of abortion is a sensitive one and must be handled according to the law to ensure it does not favor one group of people more than another. In the United States, the only branch of the government is bestowed with powers to make new laws and amend existing ones in Congress. Congress plays a vital role in justice administration in the United States because all the laws governing the country and the well-being of the citizens go through its process. Congress comprises members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Therefore, the issue of legalizing and illegalizing abortion in the United States can only be debated and decided by Congress (Rao, 2018). Although politicians might raise numerous issues concerning abortion in the United States, the final verdict on the issue lies with Congress. Congress conducts debates and evaluates opinions given by the people before passing, rejecting, or amending laws in the country.
Why the Congress and the Judicial System are Critical Decision-Makers
Congress can deal with the leadership issues of divergent perspectives and fear of losing because they are tasked with serving the citizens diligently and honestly. The members of Congress are already elected leaders and sworn in to serve the citizens. Therefore, they are expected to raise debates and make decisions that safeguard the well-being of all the citizens, regardless of the political differences that might have arisen during the campaigning period. Since Congress comprises members of the Democrats and the Republicans, they are supposed to put aside their political differences and make laws that serve the people’s well-being and positively enhance their lives (Rao, 2018). Matters that touch on the social well-being of the people are essential in the United States. Therefore, the issue of abortion, since it is a social issue, should be decided wisely and constitutionally because it affects the well-being of all women in the United States.
The judicial system is also responsible for dealing with the leadership issues that have arisen due to the issue of abortion. The United States has a well-established judicial system with a history of deciding complicated cases that affect the social well-being of the people. Several cases on abortion in the United States have been decided. The court has legalized abortion when the mother’s life is in danger, which has been an effective strategy for saving the lives of pregnant mothers whose lives are threatened by their pregnancies. Therefore, the judicial system has the power to decide on whether abortion should be entirely legalized or entirely illegalized (Hong, 2022). The judicial system also has the power to decide whether some exceptions should be enacted in line with human rights. The judicial system is appropriate for dealing with the political issues arising on the issue of abortion because all their decisions comply with the United States Constitution.
Analyzing the Identified Issues Using Leadership Theories
Using Strength-based Theory
One of the leadership theories that are prevalent in the issue of abortion in the United States is the strength-based theory. The Strength-based leadership theory explores the strength and opportunities that can lead one to become an effective leader in society or the government (Schyns et al., 2020). The issue of abortion and whether it should be legalized or not has become a strength for the Democrats. The Democrats have shown their support for the legalization of abortion, which has positively impacted their popularity among voters. To remain competitive and relevant to the voters, the Republicans decided to lessen their strong standpoints on the issue of abortion. Therefore, the Republicans have opted to utilize the strength of the Democrats concerning supporting abortion to become relevant and popular among the voters.
Using Servant Leadership Theory
Another leadership theory that is prevalent in the article is servant leadership. Servant leadership entails putting the needs of others before self-needs and implementing appropriate measures to ensure the needs of the people one is leading are met effectively. The issue of abortion primarily affects ordinary citizens, especially women voters. The law on abortion becomes relevant in instances of pregnancies gotten through rape, incest, or pregnancies that put the lives of pregnant mothers in danger (Schyns et al., 2020). By debating the issue of abortion and exchanging ideas, the political leaders in the United States have demonstrated servant leadership because the well-being of pregnant mothers has become a major issue for them. Legalizing or illegalizing abortion might not have any significant benefits to the leaders. However, it will significantly impact the voters’ social well-being.
Using Transformational Leadership Theory
Another leadership theory in the article is transformational leadership theory. Transformational leadership is based on transforming the lives and well-being of the people being led. The leaders in the United States have demonstrated unmatched transformational leadership qualities because most of them have shown their desire to positively implement laws that impact the well-being of the people positively (Schyns et al., 2020). The desire and zeal to discuss abortion and give their opinions on whether it should be legalized or not show elements of transformational leaders who aim to improve the citizens’ well-being.
Using Adaptive Leadership Theory
Since the abortion ban was implemented, many people are facing the challenge of living in a country requiring one to take responsibility for the unborn child. The prohibition of abortion has made women live with mistimed and unwanted pregnancies, and others conduct unsafe abortions, which results in the spread of contagious diseases and even death. Through the adaptive leadership theory, which requires organizations and people to thrive under challenges caused by a given change, the illegalization of abortion has resulted in applications of approaches that harm women more than how they confer help. Many women are now buying Mifeprex and Misoprostol pills from pharmacies to perform an abortion alone without acknowledging the health risks that would result (Schyns et al., 2020). Generally, the adaptation mechanism of women after banning abortion hosts resulted in more unsafe abortions than safe ones.
Leadership Recommendations
Political leaders should place the needs and demands of the voters at the forefront. The voters in any country have the power to choose leaders of their choice and can decide on how they should be led. In the case of the United States, Congress is an essential branch of the government and brings together leaders from the two major political parties. Although differences among the leaders characterize most political campaigns, those differences should be abandoned once elected to office. Once elected in Congress, the leaders should prioritize the social well-being of the voters. Therefore, the members of Congress should make decisions that are not biased and can positively enhance the citizens’ well-being. While making any new laws and amending the existing ones, public opinion should be considered at all stages. For instance, the Kansas overwhelming voting to support the legalization of abortion indicates that the majority of the citizens in the country advocate for the legalization of abortion.
Conclusion
Therefore, laws concerning abortion and amendments should consider people’s expectations. Congress should not make laws that put the lives of pregnant mothers in danger concerning abortion. The issue of abortion should be legalized and left for pregnant mothers to decide. Most pregnancies in the country occur after consent between a male and female; therefore, there should be an allowance for those who get pregnant against their will to terminate the pregnancies to avoid developing psychological issues. The judicial system, on its part, has a significant role to play concerning the issue of abortion. The Judicial system interprets the laws made by Congress and makes judgments in line with the laws. The Judicial system should avoid being influenced by political leaders in their decisions. Instead, the judicial system should be steadfast in upholding the rule of law and ensuring that the law guides any decisions made concerning the issue of abortion.
While making decisions on the issue of abortion, the judicial system should prioritize the well-being of the people and the impact of the decisions they will make on the social well-being of the people. Suppose the judicial system realizes that an unavoidable decision might affect the social well-being of the people negatively. In that case, it should be dropped and discussed further to make it more reliable and positively impactful to the people. In conclusion, the United States has a globally recognized constitution that makes the country democratic. Therefore, the issue of abortion should be approached appropriately and in line with the law to ensure the social and moral well-being of the people is safeguarded.
References
Hong, K. (2022). Overturning Roe v. Wade: how originalism’s rejection of family formation rights undermines the court’s legitimacy and destabilizes a functioning federal government.Montana Law Review Online, 83(1), 5.
Rao, N. (2018). Why Congress matters: the collective Congress in the structural constitution. Florida Law Review, 70(1), 1.
Schyns, B., Kiefer, T., & Foti, R. J. (2020). Does thinking of myself as a leader make me want to lead? The role of congruence in self-theories and implicit leadership theories in motivation to lead.Journal of Vocational Behavior, 122, 103477.
Welsman, J., & Glueck, K. (2022). Republicans Begin Adjusting to a Fierce Abortion Backlash. The New York Times.