Abortion is set to be a key U.S. election issue. Which side has momentum?
Global News
Mounting stories of the impact from a growing number of bans and limits on abortion are galvanizing voters, advocates and experts say.
As abortion and women’s health care shapes up to be a key issue in this year’s U.S. elections, the momentum appears to be persistently on the side of those fighting to restore access — while the opposing side struggles to settle on a consistent message to voters.
Ballot measures on whether to guarantee abortion access are likely to be decided in several states in November including Arizona — where lawmakers voted this week to repeal a Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions that was allowed to come into force — and Florida, where a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy took effect Wednesday.
At the same time, Donald Trump has found himself under fire from all sides of the debate for his current position that the issue should be left to the states, which marks the latest reversal for the Republican presidential candidate.
In the nearly two years since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to an abortion, stories have mounted of the serious health issues people have faced due to some states’ bans and limits on the procedure. Polls and fundraising reports suggest those real-life impacts have underscored the stakes for many voters, who have continually voted for measures to protect and guarantee abortion access.
Organizers say they expect that trend to continue into November and beyond.
“Since Roe v Wade was overturned, every time a voter has had an opportunity to protect abortion access at the ballot, they do it,” said Sara Tabatabaie, executive director of VoteProChoice, a political action group that works to elect pro-abortion candidates across the U.S.
“Our work no longer has the hurdle of needing to convince folks … that this is a winning issue. It’s clear now that abortion is popular.”
The Public Religion Research Institute found 64 per cent of Americans say abortion should be legal in most or all cases in a new poll released Thursday. Majorities of nearly all religious groups and all but five states surveyed support abortion access, the poll suggests. That majority support has stayed consistent for the past decade, the PRRI has found.
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