How could they possibly have lost more than they gained? Abortion has been legal nationwide for 40 years.
From a political standpoint, they lost a lot. Had abortion rights been legalized at the ballot box rather than by the judiciary, they'd be on a lot more stable footing and wouldn't even be a political issue at this point.
I agree. Without Roe, most of the country would likely have legalized abortion by referendum or ballot initiative or statute within the next decade or so. The whole rise of the Christian Right in the mid- and late-70s may never have happened.
But more importantly, Roe v. Wade led Conservative America to believe they couldn't trust the Supreme Court anymore. It fed into this notion that they were and are a persecuted minority (majority?) constantly being picked on by elite institutions (SCOTUS, government agencies, elite universities, the MSM).
I very highly doubt one single event prompted all this. There is a very large list of factors that can explain the rise of the Conservative Movement, but above all let's not forget it was in large parts a conscious and concerted effort by a small group of intellectuals, politicians and wealthy elites.
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