And suddenly, it is a one issue election.

Two weeks ago, the midterm elections were full of intrigue. Pennsylvania voters had a mountain of issues to search though to decide races in the primary and the general election as well.

But the leak from the U.S. Supreme Court has made whether candidates are from Pennsylvania or not mean far less. The amount of money being raised and where it comes from suddenly is trivial. Cases of domestic abuse have been swept not just under the rug but completely off the radar.

This election will be decided by the single one issue of abortion. We have always avoided writing about two issues in this newspaper. Abortion and gun rights have long been considered an impossible subject to debate. Simply put, you can’t win on the issue, and you sure as heck won’t change anyone’s mind on it.

We still won’t debate the abortion issue here today either. What needs to be said is that with it as the primary issue to be decided by whoever gets elected, it causes other important issues to be far from the voters’ eyes and ears. Pennsylvania voters will elect a new U.S. senator and a governor based solely on where voters sit with the abortion issue.

The governor choice will be Attorney General Josh Shapiro on the side of pro-choice versus the Republican survivor and pro-life. End of discussion, turn out the lights.

Voter turnout should soar. We wouldn’t be surprised if polling places at churches, especially Catholic churches, are relocated before the general election in November. Attorney General Shapiro already has stated he will veto any restrictive bill concerning a woman’s choice that hits his desk if elected.

All 97 of the Republicans on the primary ballot have stated positions of pro-life, although some not as restrictive as others. That is where the entire election 2022 will be focused and the outcome decided.

Of course, it’s a major decision. It has touched nearly every family over the past 50 years at some point. It has been the law for so long it is hard to imagine it otherwise. But someone working for one of the Supreme Court justices caused a timely leak and now all other 2022 issues are mute. Unemployment, job creation, gun control, tax issues, education, and voter fraud mean nothing.

This is the year of the unborn child for half the voters and the year to re-establish or reaffirm women’s rights to the other. Get ready. It is going to be ugly. We would close with encouraging peace and respect for each other, but that ship has sailed. We can start focusing on the challenges to the legitimacy of the election because the losers won’t be happy.

— RV