“They all did it. They’re all guilty.” — Amy Littlefield
Who killed Roe? Amy Littlefield, the abortion access correspondent at The Nation and big time Agatha Christie fan, has written a true crime book about it. Literally. Killers of Roe treats the death of the constitutional right to abortion as a murder mystery with Christie-style suspects: the Racist (Jesse Helms), the Little Brother (James Buckley), the Devout Bureaucrat (Paul Herring), the Closeted Congressman (Bob Bauman), and Mr Hyde Amendment himself, Henry Hyde — serial groper of women who ensured poor women lost access first.
The Hyde Amendment is where the crime begins: 1976, a ban on federal funding of abortion. If you’re poor, that’s your problem. Black women understood immediately. Democrats took longer to notice. Littlefield is more Miss Marple than Poirot — sitting with her suspects for hours until they confess. Paul Herring tried to convert her to Catholicism. Henry Hyde made a pass at the president of Planned Parenthood on live TV. Bob Bauman confessed his anti-abortion politics may have come from identifying with the unwanted fetus.
The ending: they all did it. Every suspect is guilty — including the Democrats. Since Dobbs: 59 excess deaths, 500 infant deaths, 22,000 additional births. Trump — who declared himself “very pro-choice” before appointing the justices who killed Roe — is the ultimate opportunist. A fat, orange haired version of Hyde. Murder on the Abortion Express. Everyone is guilty. All the men, at least.
Five Takeaways
• The Hyde Amendment Is Where the Crime Begins. 1976. Poor women lost access first. The playbook: chip away rather than ban outright.
• The Anti-Abortion Movement Stole Civil Rights Language. White conservatives found an escape valve from thinking about race — their own movement, with a white fetus as victim.
• The Suspects Are Complicated. The Crime Is Not. Hyde groped women. Bauman identified with the unwanted fetus. Herring tried to convert the author to Catholicism.
• The Numbers Are Real. Since Dobbs: 59 deaths, 500 infant deaths, 22,000 additional births. The crime is ongoing.
• They All Did It. Including the Democrats. Littlefield steals her ending from Murder on the Orient Express. All the men, at least.
About the Guest
Amy Littlefield is the abortion access correspondent at The Nation. Her book Killers of Roe is out now.
References
Killers of Roe by Amy Littlefield: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=killers+of+roe+amy+littlefield
The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/
About Keen On America
Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States.
Website: https://keenon.tv/ Substack: https://keenon.substack.com/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@KeenOnShow
Chapters:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:33 True crime and the death of a constitutional right
00:03:26 Agatha Christie as coping mechanism: Poirot or Miss Marple?
00:05:11 What was Roe? The victim in the murder mystery
00:07:52 Who has the best argument against Roe?
00:10:45 The civil rights language of the anti-abortion movement
00:13:00 The numbers: 59 deaths, 500 infant deaths, 22,000 births
00:15:30 The three-legged stool: fiscal conservatives meet Catholics
00:18:00 The racial element: escaping from having to think about race
00:20:30 Henry Hyde: the groper behind the amendment
00:23:00 Bob Bauman: the closeted congressman and the unwanted fetus
00:27:00 Reagan as meta-killer: cementing the alliance
00:29:30 Trump: very pro-choice to killer of Roe
00:32:00 The devout bureaucrat who tried to convert Littlefield
00:35:00 The verdict: All Guilty