Red Herring: any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue. Roe v. Wade has been on the books since 1973, which further interpreted the marriage privacy ruling of Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965. My point is that abortion has been around for at least 30 years, but we are still dividing the country over it. Republican Presidents Ford, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush have not repealed these laws, despite years of taking a pro-life stance. Why do we continue to support presidents who only provide lip service to a red herring issue? I call abortion a red herring issue not because it is insignificant, but because more issues will be debated before Roe v. Wade returns to the table. If you want abortion outlawed, demand it from Bush. Otherwise, don't make it an issue in 2008, 2012, 2016, etc.