Both Sides See Renewed Attention On Abortion Wars As A Boon Heading Into 2020 Elections
Advocates in both parties are hoping that the hot-button, emotional topic will drive voters to the ballot boxes. In other news on the issue: not all Democrats are falling in line with the party, arguments over rape and incest divide anti-abortion activists, a look at what would happen if Roe v. Wade is overturned, and the pope weighs in.
The Wall Street Journal:
State Abortion Curbs Stoke Partisan Tensions In Washington
The passage of a number of state laws severely restricting abortion is intensifying a national fight over the issue on Capitol Hill and in the 2020 battle for control of Congress. Abortion-rights supporters are using the state actions, including an Alabama law effectively outlawing abortion, to mobilize Democratic voters. Some Republicans see the issue as playing to their advantage by rallying public support against procedures done later in a pregnancy. (Armour and Peterson, 5/27)
The Associated Press:
State Abortion Bans May Hand Democrats A Political Weapon
A flood of laws banning abortions in Republican-run states has handed Democrats a political weapon heading into next year's elections, helping them paint the GOP as extreme and court centrist voters who could decide congressional races in swing states, members of both parties say. The Alabama law outlawing virtually all abortions, even in cases of rape or incest, is the strictest so far. Besides animating Democrats, the law has prompted President Donald Trump, other Republican leaders and lawmakers seeking reelection next year to distance themselves from the measure. (Fram, 5/24)
The Hill:
2020 Democrats Target Federal Ban On Abortion Funding
Democratic presidential candidates are seizing on the intensifying abortion debate by calling for an end to a 43-year ban on the use of federal funds for abortions. Twenty-one of the 24 Democrats running for president say they support repealing the so-called Hyde amendment, which has prevented public health programs like Medicaid from paying for abortions, in most cases, since 1976. (Hellmann, 5/25)
The Associated Press:
In Some Democrat-Led States, Lawmakers Differ On Abortion
A bill seeking to preserve abortion protections in state law fails to pass a key committee. Lawmakers cite God, church and faith in proclaiming their opposition to it. Abortion-rights groups protest outside a gathering of lawmakers. What sounds like a legislative fight in a state controlled by anti-abortion Republicans is actually quite different. (McDermott and Lieb, 5/27)
The Associated Press:
Arguments Over Rape And Incest Divide Abortion Opponents
Even as the anti-abortion movement celebrates the sweeping bans passed in several states, it's divided by a widening rift over whether those prohibitions should apply to victims of rape and incest. The debate pits those who believe any abortion is immoral against those who worry that a no-exception stance could be harmful to some Republican candidates in upcoming elections. A Gallup poll last year found that 77% of Americans support exceptions in cases of rape and incest. (Crary, 5/24)
The Associated Press:
Overturning Roe V. Wade Wouldn't Turn Back The Clock To 1973
A wave of state abortion bans has set off speculation: What would happen if Roe v. Wade, the ruling establishing abortion rights nationwide, were overturned? Although far from a certainty, even with increased conservative clout on the Supreme Court, a reversal of Roe would mean abortion policy would revert to the states, and many would be eager to impose bans. What would not happen is a full-fledged turning back of the clock to 1973. (Crary and Johnson, 5/26)
The Associated Press:
Pope: Abortion Is Never OK, Equates It To “Hiring A Hitman”
Pope Francis said Saturday that abortion can never be condoned, even when the fetus is gravely sick or likely to die, and urged doctors and priests to support families to carry such pregnancies to term. Speaking to a Vatican-sponsored anti-abortion conference, Francis said the opposition to abortion isn’t a religious issue but a human one. “Is it licit to throw away a life to resolve a problem?” he asked. “Is it licit to hire a hitman to resolve a problem?” (Winfield, 5/25)
