Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 13
by Sara Pequeño
The reelection of Donald Trump and Republicans winning control of the federal government threaten the future of abortion rights, regardless of the state you live in. That is undeniable.
This will become clearer in the coming months when we see more challenges to access than we’ve witnessed in the two years since the fall of Roe v. Wade. This will happen regardless of what candidate Trump said all summer.
Trump has switched up his stance on abortion rights multiple times and now insists he won’t sign a national abortion ban. I don’t believe him. Vice President-elect JD Vance has said that he’d support a “minimum national standard.”
Even if a national abortion ban does not come to fruition, the federal government can still heavily restrict access to the practice. Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s plan for a Trump presidency, wants to curtail access to medication abortion, as do other anti-abortion groups.
There’s a bill in the House that would outlaw obtaining a medical abortion via telehealth.
However, what we learned from the 2024 election is that abortion rights remain popular – even in states that ultimately went for Trump.
Republicans should treat this as proof that if they try to implement a minimum national standard or portions of Project 2025, there will be pushback. Democrats need to not lose sight of what’s at stake. This isn’t over.
Republicans won’t stop – regardless of what voters want on abortion
Conservatives have proved that they won’t back down from attacking reproductive rights. Thankfully, voters and judges across the country are fighting back.
On Monday, a Wyoming judge declared the state’s total abortion ban unconstitutional. It’s a win for the state and a step in the right direction – even if the victory is likely to be short-lived. In Wisconsin, arguments before the state Supreme Court to reinstate the 175-year-old abortion ban seem to be failing.
Other states voted on ballot measurements aimed at protecting abortion rights.
Living in New York, I was able to vote on Proposition 1, which would enshrine abortion rights. My neighbors agreed with me, and now the Equal Rights Act will become part of the state’s constitution. Voters in six other states did the same.
Those wins should be celebrated, especially those in states that had bans in place or where Trump won. Arizona will see its 15-week ban lifted in 2025.
Missouri voters rejected a total state ban on abortion. Colorado, Maryland, Montana and Nevada moved to protect a practice already legal in their states. That means millions of women will have access to the medical care they deserve, which was once guaranteed to every woman in America.
In all 10 states where abortion was on the ballot in 2024, reproductive rights proved to be more popular than Vice President Kamala Harris. Arizona, Montana, Missouri and Nevada went for Trump despite voting to protect abortion rights.
But abortion ballot measures failed in South Dakota and Nebraska. The ballot amendment in Florida also failed, despite receiving 57% of the vote, because of a 60% threshold.
Clearly, the Democrats’ messaging was correct on abortion – the issue was selling Harris as the candidate who would protect abortion rights. Now, their job must be to oppose any further restrictions on abortion rights at the national level, and keep fighting for expanded access at the state level.
Republicans will continue limiting access to abortion. Time is running out to prepare.
Again, I’m not sold on the idea that Trump has a moderate abortion stance. This is the same man who bragged about nominating the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe, and who falsely claimed on the debate stage that abortions were happening “probably after birth.”
I’m not alone in my concerns. There has been an increase in demand for Plan B and abortion pills since the election. More people are scheduling vasectomies and IUD insertions.
Some may think that’s extreme – I think it’s proactive. I also think Democratic-controlled states should consider following in Oregon’s footsteps and stockpile abortion pills in case of any disruption to the national supply.
We are in an uncertain time for abortion access nationwide. It does not change the fact that people will always need abortions. This is just another way for the Republican Party to exert control over women.
My hope is that the Democratic Party assesses what went right in states that codified abortion rights and how they can apply those tactics to other states and other candidates. Democrats must not stop fighting for our rights.
