Contributed by Suzanne Mead
Thanks to the recent leak of a Supreme Court draft ruling, it appears that the landmark and well-settled Roe v. Wade ruling giving women access to abortion is about to be overturned. This should not be a surprise given the current conservative, pro-life make-up of the Court. However, it has created a firestorm in public discourse and provided some opportunities for Democratic gains in the upcoming election.
According to the following piece from Politico Playbook (see excerpt below), voters are still largely supportive of continued access to abortion. We can take that as an invitation to contrast our deeply held democratic values against Republican efforts to achieve one-party minority rule.
In other words, it would be a good time to support our candidates who will ensure the freedoms women have had for the past 49 years. It is also a good time to join up with groups like Black Mountain Dems and Friends and Legislative District 3 Democrats to get important messages out to the over 54,000 Dems and Independents we need to defeat the radical Republican agenda. See how you can get more involved here. blackmountain-news.com and AZLD3Dems.org.
"If so-called pro-life advocates are really concerned about abortions, there are far more effective way to keep numbers low: lift people out of poverty and improve their access to education and economic opportunity; inform young people about their reproductive rights and choices; make contraceptives widely available. And take a stand against misogyny and sexual violence wherever you can. Banning abortions is poor policy with fatal consequences." --Richard Branson, CEO Virgin
From Politico Playbook 5/11/22:
NEW POLLING ON ABORTION RIGHTS — Over the last week, the percentage of Americans who say they’ve heard “a lot” or “some” about the draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe shot to 66% — up 7 points since the news broke. And judging from the results of a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, they’re not wild about what they’re hearing.
On overturning Roe: Fifty-three percent of voters say Roe should not be overturned, up three percentage points since last week. Twenty-eight percent say Roe should be overturned.
Among Republican voters, just 48% support overturning Roe. That’s down three points from last week.
On the midterms: Fifty-eight percent of voters said it is important for them to vote for a candidate in the midterms who supports abortion access. That includes 82% of Democratic voters, 57% of independents and more than 1 in 3 Republicans (35%).
As for what might happen with Roe gone, across the board, voters overwhelmingly oppose criminal penalties for women and doctors who obtain or perform abortions.
On the prospect of prison for women: Seventy-three percent oppose prison time for women to receive abortions. That includes 84% of Democratic voters, 76% of independents and 60% of Republicans.
On the prospect of fines for doctors: Eighty percent of Democrats and 64% of independents oppose fines for doctors who perform abortions. Among Republicans, 50% support fining doctors, while 39% oppose it.
Links to full polls by Politico:
