Right. Win this huge battle then we can worry about the fallout. There's always fallout no matter what you do.
My father always described these situations as "up one hill then up the next."
On abortion, I think I get what the Catholic bishops do not get: that a big liberal government is a danger to the freedom of religion. Separation of church and state IS necessary for freedom of religion. unless you want the church turned into an instrument of state power.