MORRISTOWN – The crowd rallied on the historic Green and then marched around it a few times.

“If you cut off my reproductive rights, can I cut off yours?”

That was one of the more provocative signs being waved by some in a crowd of about 300 who turned out last weekend to protest the possible overturn of Roe v.Wade. Similar protests were held around the state and nation.

It’s now been a bit more than two weeks since Justice Alito’s leaked draft created a political earthquake.

Clearly, the political impact of the court’s decision – assuming it does not change – won’t really be seen until the midterm election.

But what are we seeing so far?

An NBC poll arriving a few days ago showed that 60 percent of respondents wanted abortion to remain legal, or in other words, they want the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision to stay.  Some 37 percent wanted abortion to be illegal, albeit with some exceptions.

Nothing new about these findings. Majority support for Roe v.Wade has been recently consistent.

A more relevant question is, will feelings on abortion move the needle?  If it does, Democrats, who are trumpeting their pro-choice position, can benefit.

On that score, a Monmouth University poll released last week had some good news (maybe) for the Dems.

It found that 25 percent of those polled identified abortion as the most important issue among six offered. It was second by a mere one percentage point to the economy. For the record, other issues presented were health care, immigration, gun control and taxes.

By way of comparison, back in the last midterm cycle of 2018, only 9 percent selected abortion as the most important issue.

The poll was obviously done when news of the leaked draft was still reverberating. Nonetheless,  a jump from 9 percent to 25 percent as the most important issue seems noteworthy.

And if those feelings hold, you have to think it will give Democrats a boost.

One thing not in dispute. Democrats think they’re going to get a boost from supporting abortion rights. Most are showing up at protests and rallies all over the state.

Tom Malinowski, who faces a tough reelection fight in CD-7, was at a pro-choice rally last Saturday in Westfield.

Mikie Sherrill in CD-11 was not at the Morristown rally, but she helped “launch” a canvassing effort that day in Madison.

Republicans, meanwhile. have been largely silent on the issue.

Of course, all this speculation about the impact of abortion rights on the midterm is not complete until you consider inflation and high gas prices. If gas is $4.75 a gallon on Nov. 1, will abortion rights still matter?

One of the signs at the Morristown rally provided an answer Democrats have to hope proves true.

It said that prices eventually go down, but rights lost can be lost forever.