WASHINGTON — (TNS) Political messaging and state legislative activity related to abortion are ramping up in the lead-up to two milestones for abortion rights activists and opponents — the annual March for Life, scheduled for Friday, and the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision on Jan. 22.
Both dates usually attract a hotbed of political activity, but this year will be the first since the Supreme Court overturned the national right to abortion, creating a reckoning: Now that anti-abortion advocates have met their goal of overturning Roe v. Wade, what’s next?
The issue has long been politically salient, but now the nuances matter. Former President Donald Trump blamed the GOP’s poorer-than-expected showing in the midterm elections on how candidates had handled their messaging on abortion, such as advocating for no exceptions under state abortion bans.
Republicans are wrangling with where to go next. On the federal level, some Republicans have pushed to hold votes on additional abortion restrictions, while others have shifted to arguing for other priorities or calling for abortion policy changes to come from the state level.
At least one prominent Republican senator who won on an anti-abortion platform in 2022 cautioned the GOP not to sidestep the issue, instead blaming the advice of political consultants.
“Unfortunately, many listened to them. And now they’ve bought into the media narrative that it was support for the unborn that cost Republicans in the midterm elections,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Because of the split Congress, any abortion-related legislation will focus more on motivating supporters on both sides of the abortion debate. The more critical changes, meanwhile, will happen on the state and local level through state legislatures and litigation.
A senior Biden administration official said that as of Wednesday evening, state lawmakers have filed more than 60 bills in opposition to abortion rights. Planned Parenthood said state lawmakers have filed 70 bills that support abortion rights.
FEDERAL LEVEL
House Republicans started this year by passing two measures supported by abortion opponents — one that they say would increase protections for an infant born after an attempted abortion and the other condemning recent attacks on anti-abortion advocates and religious facilities.
Shortly after the votes, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., foreshadowed additional action sought by advocates.
“House Republicans have been committed to advancing legislation that protects the lives of the unborn and their mothers,” said McCarthy. “We will continue to prioritize the defense of life and all individuals from violence and intimidation.”
Neil O’Brian, a political scientist at the University of Oregon, said he’s not surprised that House Republicans introduced abortion legislation within days of taking control of the chamber, even though the strategy could prove politically risky for Republicans who represent districts that Biden won in 2020.
“This is a core issue for their base, and this is a great opportunity to introduce legislation and force everybody to take a vote, even if it has no chance of getting passed,’’ said O’Brian, comparing the strategy to the GOP’s decade-long quest to repeal the 2010 health law.
Democrats, meanwhile, see abortion rights as a key issue heading into 2024.
The Democratic National Committee says Republicans will continue to seek a federal ban, using it as a conservative litmus test leading up to the Republican presidential primaries.
The Democratic-leaning House Majority PAC, which supports races to gain Democratic control of the House, used the Jan. 11 House votes to call out the 25 vulnerable Republicans who voted for the legislation, vowing that they would be “held accountable and voted out in 2024.”
STATE FIGHTS
State legislatures are expected to consider a number of new reproductive health bills as some legislatures gather for the first time since the court ruling.
Four governors’ seats flipped during last year’s midterms. Arizona, Maryland and Massachusetts now have Democratic governors, while Nevada flipped to Republican. Both Maryland and Massachusetts hold a Democratic trifecta, with both houses of the legislature and the governorship, while Arizona and Nevada are now divided.
Democrats also flipped both Michigan chambers, the Minnesota Senate and the Pennsylvania House, though Republicans still hold control of a majority of state legislative chambers. Minnesota and Michigan are now Democratic trifectas as well.
Many state-level abortion laws end up in litigation, such as Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban that led to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the Roe precedent.
Both sides are eyeing changes in Virginia, where abortion remains legal.
In mid-January, Virginia Republican lawmakers introduced a 15-week ban with the support of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, while Democratic state lawmakers and Virginia Reproductive Equity Alliance announced plans to begin the multiyear process of putting the right to reproductive freedom on the ballot.
Virginia law requires a legislatively referred ballot initiative to pass in two consecutive sessions — and the General Assembly has split control. Elizabeth Nash, principal policy associate of state issues at the Guttmacher Institute, said she is primarily watching five things in states looking to expand abortion rights this year.
She’s tracking the expansion of shield laws that protect medical providers who see patients from other states. She’s watching efforts to expand or protect other forms of reproductive health, like contraception and sterilization. And she’s following whether states that allocated one-time funding boosts for reproductive health will continue that funding in the long term.
(By Sandhya Raman and Daniela Altimari, CQ-Roll Call)
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.