US Election Issue: Abortion
OVERVIEW: Abortion has long been a deeply political issue in the US and is a major topic in the 2024 election. While often framed in 'pro-life' and 'pro-choice' terms, laws and opinions really fall on a spectrum. Abortion is banned in 14 of 50 states, all of which make an exception to save a pre...
Facts
- OVERVIEW: Abortion has long been a deeply political issue in the US and is a major topic in the 2024 election. While often framed in 'pro-life' and 'pro-choice' terms, laws and opinions really fall on a spectrum. Abortion is banned in 14 of 50 states, all of which make an exception to save a pregnant woman's life. Twenty-six states allow abortion until a specific point of pregnancy, 10 require an individual to wait a period of time before an abortion, and 22 require parental involvement for minors.[1][2][3]
- COURT CASES: The right to an abortion was nationally protected for 49 years after the 1973 Supreme Court (SCOTUS) case, Roe v. Wade, which was overturned in the June 2022 case, Dobbs v. Jackson. The Court’s majority opinion in Dobbs wrote that since abortion wasn't mentioned in the Constitution, 'implicit in the concept of ordered liberty,' or 'deeply rooted' in America’s history and tradition, individual states should be left to make their own laws.[4][5]
- CURRENT STATE: Per the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute and pro-life group Live Action, there were an estimated 1M abortions in America in 2023, an increase from about 930K in 2020 despite the Dobbs ruling. Annual abortions had declined from 1.6M in 1990 to 885K in 2017. Guttmacher found medical abortions (involving drugs like mifepristone) accounted for 63% of abortions in 2023, up from 17% in 2008. 16-17% of women who obtained an abortion in 2023 traveled out of state to do so, compared to 6% in 2011.[6][7][8][9]
- ABORTION AS AN ELECTION ISSUE: As of July, 2% of Americans saw abortion as the 'most important problem.' 32% of US voters claim they will only vote for a candidate for major office if they share their views on abortion (up 4% from 2023). 63% of those polled believe abortion should be legal in 'all/most' cases, compared to 36% who believe the opposite. Among Democrats (or Democrat-leaning), 85% support abortion in 'all/most' cases, compared to 41% of Republicans/Republican leaning.[10][11][12]
- REPUBLICAN PARTY PLEDGES: The 2024 GOP Party Platform states it 'proudly stand[s] for families and life,' asserting that the 14th Amendment — 'no person can be denied Life or Liberty without Due Process' — extends to the unborn. Former Pres. Donald Trump believes abortion law should be determined by states, a stance reaffirmed in the GOP platform. The platform opposes late-term abortions and supports prenatal care, birth control, and pro-fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization (IVF).[13][14]
- DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLEDGES: The 2024 Democratic Party Platform states it's 'fighting back to restore reproductive freedom for every woman in every state.' Democrats pledge to pass national legislation to make Roe v. Wade 'the law of the land again' if the party controls Congress after the election. The party further states that it will protect a woman's right to IVF, repeal the Hyde Amendment — which prohibits federal funding of abortion — and continue to support FDA-approved medication abortion.[15][16]
Sources: [1]Abortionfinder, [2]KFF, [3]Verity, [4]Supremecourt, [5]Reproductiverights, [6]Guttmacher Institute (a), [7]Guttmacher Institute (b), [8]Guttmacher Institute (c), [9]Liveaction, [10]Pew Research Center, [11]Gallup.com (a), [12]Gallup.com (b), [13]BBC News, [14]The American Presidency Project, [15]Democrats and [16]Congress.
Narratives
- Republican narrative, as provided by Federalist and FOX News. Harris's fear-mongering about nationwide abortion and IVF bans under a Trump presidency aims to divert attention from her own party's extreme abortion policies. While Trump and the GOP assert that abortion laws should be decided at the state level, Harris and the Democrats push for unrestricted abortions nationwide with minimal limitations. Under Trump, the current middle ground between pro-life and pro-abortion beliefs will be protected.
- Democratic narrative, as provided by MSNBC and The Hill. Trump is attempting to gaslight America into believing he holds a moderate stance on abortion. But the GOP's platform, in classic Trumpian style, is intentionally vague about its attempt to trojan horse an archaic agenda into the US — including a potential ban on mifepristone. With many of Trump's key allies, including his own vice presidential nominee, holding strong anti-abortion views, the GOP can't hide its true colors.
- Conservative narrative, as provided by National Review, Fedsoc and Christianity Today. Sadly, the GOP led by Trump is turning its back on the pro-life movement. While the 14th Amendment’s protection of the right to life, and its extension to the unborn, is well-established, the new GOP platform only vaguely references it, omitting any clear mention of unborn rights present in previous elections. The party's stance against late-term abortion is also notably watered down, and Trump has been evasive on whether he would sign a federal abortion ban.
