Comparing the right's exploitation of Schaivo with this new, horrifying family tragedy, Pierce says that—
In the end, the dangerous combination of fundamentalist rage and raw political opportunism got so bad that it blew up on the Republicans, and it had a lot to do with their losing the congress in 2006.
And yet, remember, nothing is ever finished with these people. Now comes the tragic case of Marlise Munoz, a young Texas woman who collapsed while pregnant, and whose family has pleaded that she be allowed to pass. However, even though Munoz is dead, according to Texas law, she must be maintained as an incubator for the fetus inside her for as long as that may be necessary. They aren't even sure whether the drugs that were given to Munoz in an attempt to revive her may have damaged the fetus itself. She is being kept alive as a receptacle, nothing more. It is grotesque, and it is the law.
The surface difference between then and now is that the far right has largely resisted the urge to fly into total barking hysteria. That could be because the beating they took over the shutdown has given them a temporary modicum of impulse control, but the more likely explanation is that there's just no need for the circus to come to town. Republicans across the country have succeeded in systematically gutting abortion rights. The circus is already here. The circus is the law.
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