Inside The Effort To Win Over Republicans On Abortion

As red states get ready to consider pro-choice ballot measures, advocates are reaching out to conservative voters.

As the U.S. closes in on what will likely be the most consequential election for abortion care in recent history, pro-choice advocates are setting their sights on a specific voting bloc: Republicans.

Ten states, half of which are GOP strongholds, have abortion-related amendments on their ballots. Protecting statewide access to abortion care will require voters to break with some of their party leaders.

And that could certainly happen. In 2022, just months after the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade, voters protected abortion care in every state where the issue was on the ballot. It was true in Kentucky, a deep-red state, and even a year later in Ohio, a state notorious for some of the most extreme anti-choice legislation in the country. This year, ballot measures in Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota will face the same test.

Except for Montana, all five states have enacted extreme abortion bans since the fall of Roe. Missouri and South Dakota have near-total abortion bans, while Florida’s six-week restriction was the final nail in the proverbial coffin for abortion access across the Southeast. Though the states are Republican strongholds, it doesn’t necessarily mean that their voters are overwhelmingly anti-abortion.

“Someone may want to vote for Donald Trump, or they have voted in 2022 for Ron DeSantis, but that doesn’t mean that they agree with them on every issue – and abortion is a great example of that,” Lauren Brenzel, director for Florida’s Yes On 4 campaign, said during a press call earlier this week.