Prospect of National Abortion Ban Fires Up Midterm Voters

Prospect of National Abortion Ban Fires Up Midterm Voters

A new poll found that 62 percent of Americans are more motivated to vote amid the prospect of a nationwide abortion ban.

A new poll conducted by the progressive firm Navigator Research found that 62 percent of Americans are more motivated to vote amid the prospect of a nationwide abortion ban, The Hill reported.

Broken down, the figure includes 77 percent of Democrats, nearly 50 percent of Republicans, and 45 percent of independents. Roughly half of all Republicans and independents admitted that a potential abortion ban makes no difference to their enthusiasm to vote, while only 19 percent of Democrats said likewise.

The survey’s results come as Democrats are seeking to highlight the issue of abortion rights ahead of next week’s midterm elections. In June, the Supreme Court made the controversial decision to strike down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark ruling that established the constitutional right to abortion. Trigger laws saw thirteen states’ abortion bans go into effect immediately following the ruling.

In September, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced a bill that aimed to prohibit abortion nationally after fifteen weeks. Called the Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act, the legislation included exceptions for abortions that are necessary to save the life of the mother or when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. It would also not affect state laws that are already more restrictive.

In June, Graham called the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe a “long overdue constitutional correction allowing the officials in the states to decide issues of life.”

The Hill also reported that the number of legal abortions in the United States fell by 6 percent in the two months after Roe was overturned, according to a new report released by WeCount, an organization led by the Society of Family Planning (SFP).

“Traveling for abortion care is associated with heavy burdens, including delays to care and increased cost, both financial and social; those who are unable to overcome these burdens are left to carry pregnancies to term,” the SFP report said.

Meanwhile, as reported by Axios, a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association discovered that mail-order abortion pill requests surged after Roe’s reversal, with the biggest numbers seen in states with total or near-total bans on abortion.

When Texas enacted its abortion ban last fall, “I said the need for abortion won’t go away just because it’s restricted, and that self-management stepped in as a potential option for people who could not go to a clinic,” Abigail R. A. Aiken, assistant professor at the University of Texas and lead author of the study, said in a statement.

“[W]hat this new data also shows is that when respondents have other options available to them, they still value the ability to manage abortion on their own terms,” she continued.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Washington state-based Finance and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.

Image: Reuters.