More than a month after Roe v. Wade was struck down by the Supreme Court, Democrats aren’t letting up trying to protect abortion rights — even if their efforts might seem futile.
With little national agreement on abortion rights, one thing is for certain: The coming weeks will prove formative in how the issue plays out in the United States.
Predictably, states remain the battleground. Conservative legislators in Indiana are pushing for new abortion laws, while voters will decide the fate of reproductive rights in Kansas. As Vice President Kamala Harris levied an aggressive nationwide campaign to reinvigorate progressive state legislators, a streaming service refused to run ads purchased by Democrats about abortion. A judge in South Carolina ruled that a ban on the medical procedure can be enforced, but another judge in Kentucky continued to block an abortion ban.
These developments — contradictions in policy and public opinion — underscore the divisiveness of the issue that has exacerbated political differences in America. As we inch closer to the November midterms, politicians are expected to keep a close eye to how the issues play out.
Here’s some of the latest news that will keep you in the loop, too:
STATEHOUSE
Indiana GOP pushes for nation’s first new abortion laws
In Indiana, conservative state legislators are pushing to enact new restrictions on abortion — the first state in the nation to do so since Roe was struck down.
At the Indiana Statehouse on Monday, senators held a special session to ban abortions unless rape or incest is involved, or the mother’s life is at risk. Through the chamber doors, however, furious protesters could be heard yelling, “Let them choose” and “Vote them out.”
Indiana has been at the forefront of abortion controversy since a 10-year-old pregnant girl went to the state from neighboring Ohio to seek the medical procedure. Jim Bopp, the National Right to Life Committee’s general counsel, told POLITICO that the girl should have carried her pregnancy to term.
Before the legislative session began, the vice president held a roundtable with Democratic lawmakers and state leaders to condemn the proposed law, a total ban with narrow exceptions. But neither the protesters nor Harris’ remarks will likely have a concrete impact — Republicans control both chambers with supermajorities, as well as the governor’s office.
POLITICS
Harris plans to turn up heat on state front lines
Harris is planning a more aggressive campaign to energize Democratic state legislators and governors in the fight for abortion rights, according to reporting from POLITICO.
She reportedly told her staff, “We need to make it a goal that we’re out in America three days a week” leading up to the November elections, a person familiar with the conversations said.
The vice president — who is the first woman to hold her office, and is also a former state and local official — has already engaged with lawmakers in states where abortion restrictions are implemented or expected. She’ll now make a concerted effort to call out “Republican extremism” in conservative states, White House aides said.
Harris has already made multiple public appearances discussing abortion this week. At a National Urban League conference, she called abortion without exceptions “wrong-headed and intended to harm.”
And in her visit to Indiana, she lambasted the state’s near-total proposed ban.
“Some people need to actually learn how a woman’s body works,” she said Monday.
STREAMING
Hulu won’t play politics
It’s no secret that Democrats are trying to capitalize on protecting abortion to deliver midterm wins in November. But if you’re watching TV at night on Hulu, you won’t see any ads about the issue.
The Disney-backed streaming service has come under fire from Democrats lately for refusing to run political ads about abortion and guns, striking a stark contrast with a recent rise in corporations using the hot-button issues to appeal to their consumer base following the Supreme Court’s decision. Unlike broadcast television, streaming services are not legally bound to provide politicians with equal access when it comes to running ads.
In mid-July, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Governors Association tried to buy joint ads on Hulu, an ABC affiliate in Philadelphia and ESPN, The Washington Post reported. With a policy of not running anything controversial, Hulu was the only service that didn’t air the ads on abortion and guns.
“Hulu’s censorship of the truth is outrageous, offensive, and another step down a dangerous path for our country,” the executive directors of the three committees, Christie Roberts, Tim Persico and Noam Lee, told The Post in a statement.
PUBLIC OPINION
Kansans’ abortion vote to test public opinion
An election next week in Kansas that has been planned for a year has become decidedly more high-stakes ever since Roe was struck down.
On Aug. 2, Kansans will have the option to remove abortion protections from the state’s constitution, the first election in the country to put public opinion on abortion to the test. If protections are stripped, the Republican-controlled state Legislature will be able to enact new restrictions or entirely outlaw the medical procedure.
Abortion restrictions in the state have to clear a high level of “strict scrutiny” to become law, according to The Kansas City Star. Nearly all restrictions on the procedure would be considered unconstitutional because of the state Supreme Court's declaring a right to bodily autonomy in 2019.
Politicians across the country are keeping a close eye on the election outcome, which may be used to indicate public opinion on the issue ahead of the midterms. This year alone, more than $11 million has been poured into the election on both sides, The New York Times reported.
Although Republicans in Kansas far outnumber Democrats, polling on the issue in the state suggests that the election is relatively up in the air. With language on the ballot that critics say may be hard to understand, the election is likely to come down to which party can persuade voters to head to the polls.
STATES
Judges rule in opposite ways in two red states: Kentucky and South Carolina
The push-and-pull between abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion state lawmakers continued this week, now with Kentucky and South Carolina in the spotlight.
A judge in the Kentucky ruled in favor of allowing abortions to continue, extending a block on the state’s abortion ban Friday.
The state’s two restrictive abortion laws — a full ban and another law cutting off abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — likely violated Kentucky’s constitution, Judge Mitch Perry said.
But in South Carolina, the opposite: A judge said the state’s ban on abortions after six weeks can be enforced for now, as a case from abortion providers challenging the law proceeds.
Judge Casey Manning denied a request from abortion providers and doctors to allow abortion to continue as a case against the law proceeds through the legal system. He transferred their effort to the state Supreme Court.
The South Carolina law is among abortion bans that seek to punish providers: A person who performs an abortion violating the law, if convicted, could be fined $10,000 and face up to two years in prison.
NEWS
And finally ... an update on West Virginia
Last week, we broke down a West Virginia judge’s decision to block enforcement of that state’s 19th-century abortion ban.
This week, West Virginia Republican lawmakers advanced a fresh bill that seeks to ban abortion, with exceptions for the life of the pregnant person. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.
The bill advanced through two state House committees. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, who has previously said that he stands “for life,” added the item to the Legislature’s agenda.
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