The modern pro-life movement was founded by people who definitely had paid for abortions or would approve of their use to secure the positions and reputations of their peers.

Its purpose was not to prevent abortions but to prevent democracy.

The purpose of the pro-life movement was not to overturn Roe v. Wade but to overturn the electorate, by convincing millions of Christians they had no choice but to vote for Republicans.

No matter what the parties offered. No matter what they did.

Innocent lives on the line!

No transgression by a Republican politician could matter as much as the MILLIONS OF LIVES. No harmful and destructive policy pursued by the Republican party in power could matter as much as the MILLIONS OF LIVES.

Conversely, no popular and beneficial or necessary policy proposed by Democrats could justify voting for them, because MILLIONS OF LIVES.

Invisible, non-existent lives. Completely abstract lives. But MILLIONS of them.

This was the closest thing you'll ever find to a devil's bargain in US politics: the earthly masters of big-money churches teaming up with Republican politicians to ensure they both would have continued and continuously growing powers in a swiftly tilting political landscape.

This bargain has reached its apotheosis (at least, so far) in the person of Donald Trump, a man who offers literally nothing to the rank-and-file Christian believer except a promise to keep appointing judges who will help overturn Roe.

He's dumping arsenic and lead into the drinking water? That's going to hurt fetal development and already living children!

But... MILLIONS OF LIVES.

Plenty of rank and file Christian believes on the pro-life side recognize that he's openly corrupt and power hungry.

But... MILLIONS OF LIVES.

The pro-life movement has made it possible for a "values voter" to understand that the Republican Party is making life hell on earth and still vote for them, because the imagined MILLIONS OF LIVES outweighs all other concerns.

Now, there's no effect with just one cause and no cause with just one effect. There aren't actually a lot of true single issue voters.

Someone who really just wants to vote in align with white supremacy might find MILLIONS OF LIVES a more palatable excuse.

It's not simply emotional blackmail forcing people to vote Republican, it's just a heavy stone on the scales and a really conspicuous excuse for people who need one.

But while it's possible to underestimate the complexity of its impact, it's impossible to overstate its importance.

I mean, it's part of the priming for QAnon: your political enemies are literal satanic babykillers!

Same token, it grows out from and feeds into anti-Semitism.