Nationally, A Majority Support Abortion Rights. But It Differs State By State

Politico: Poll: Half Of Voters Support Maintaining Roe V. Wade
By a nearly 2-to-1 margin, voters oppose overturning Roe v. Wade, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll conducted immediately after POLITICO published a draft opinion from the Supreme Court that would eviscerate the 1973 precedent guaranteeing federal abortion rights. Half of voters (50 percent) say Roe v. Wade should not be overturned — more than the 28 percent who say it should be overturned. More than 2-in-10 voters, 22 percent, are undecided, according to the poll. (Shepard, 5/4)

The New York Times: Do Americans Support Abortion Rights? Depends On The State.
In the states poised to put in new restrictions on abortion, people tend to say that abortion should be mostly or fully illegal, based on a New York Times analysis of large national surveys taken over the last decade. In the 13 states that have enacted so-called trigger laws, which would immediately or very quickly outlaw abortion if Roe were overturned, 43 percent of adults on average say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while 52 percent say it should be illegal in most or all cases. (Cohn, 5/4)

The Texas Tribune: Most Texas Voters Say Abortion Should Be Allowed In Some Form, Poll Shows 
At a time when Texas is poised to outlaw the vast majority of abortions if the nation’s highest court overturns constitutional protections for the procedure, a recent University of Texas at Austin poll shows most Texan voters think access to abortion should be allowed in some form. Texas would make performing most abortions a felony if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade — a future that looks considerably more likely after a nonbinding draft opinion was leaked from the high court Monday. Constitutional protections for abortion could be struck down as soon as this summer. The university conducted the poll in April before the court’s document was leaked. The survey found that 78% of respondents believe abortion should be allowed in some form while only 15% said it should be never permitted. (Oxner, 5/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: How Californians Feel About Roe V. Wade, According To One Survey
California has a reputation as one of the nation’s liberal bulwarks — and already there’s talk that the state could become a refuge for women seeking abortions if the Supreme Court follows through on overturning Roe v. Wade. Still, residents’ opinions on whether the case should be overturned vary by geography and income, according to a survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California in July 2021. ... Statewide, 77% of respondents said the court should not overturn the precedent, while 21% said the justices should and 2% said they didn’t know. (Kost, 5/4)

Canada says Americans can get an abortion there —

NPR: Canadian Abortion Providers Can Treat Americans If Roe Goes Away, Official Says
While it's not yet clear what resemblance the Supreme Court's leaked draft opinion will bear to the final version, its current form suggests Justices may soon reverse federal abortion protections. And if that does come to pass, at least one Canadian official says Americans who are able to travel across the northern border will be able access the procedure there. Karina Gould, the minister of families, children and social development, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday that Canada would allow Americans to obtain abortions. (Treisman, 5/4)

The Washington Post: Scrapping Roe Would Affect Both Sides Of Border, Canadian Official Says
If Roe v. Wade were overturned, Americans could continue to receive abortions in Canada, Karina Gould, the country’s minister of families, children and social development, said Tuesday. She said such a decision would affect people on both sides of the border. ... “One of the concerning factors here is that there are many Canadian women who maybe don’t live near a major city in Canada, but will often access these services in the United States,” Karina Gould, the country’s minister of families, children and social development, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

NPR: Advocates Say Undoing Roe V. Wade Goes Against Global Abortion Access Trends
International rights groups warned the U.S. Supreme Court last year that possibly overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade case that made abortions legal in 1973 would put it behind the curve of other countries that have been expanding access to abortion care. Human Rights Watch says there is an international trend toward expanding abortion access. Argentina legalized abortion in 2020, while Mexico decriminalized the procedure in 2021. Statistics also show that in Ecuador, El Salvador, South Africa and Romania, the more restrictive abortion legislation is, the higher incidences of women dying or contracting diseases after giving birth are, according to a September 2021 brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Archie, 5/5)

Support floods in —

Reuters: Donations To U.S. Abortion Rights Groups, Clinics Surge After Supreme Court Leak
Donations have flooded into abortion clinics and abortion-rights advocacy groups since the leak of a U.S. Supreme Court draft ruling that showed the justices apparently poised to overturn the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision. The draft ruling, which was published by Politico on Monday evening, sparked a frenzy of giving by Americans to abortion clinics, groups that help individuals pay for abortions and organizations seeking to preserve abortion access. (Borter, 5/4)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Hundreds March Through Downtown Milwaukee, Supporting Abortion Rights
Hundreds marched through downtown Milwaukee Wednesday, calling for abortion rights in the wake of a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion indicating the court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case. The march was organized by members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation-Milwaukee and the Milwaukee International Women's Day Coalition. Demonstrators met at Red Arrow Park for speeches before marching down Wisconsin Avenue to the Planned Parenthood clinic on N. 22nd Street and W. Wisconsin Avenue, outside of which organizers gave more speeches before the crowd marched back. (Shastri, 5/4)

NBC News: Some Religions Support Abortion Rights. Their Leaders Are Speaking Up.
After an abortion law took effect in Texas last fall that allows private citizens to sue someone who performs an abortion or helps someone obtain one after six weeks of pregnancy, Rabbi Mara Nathan, the senior rabbi at Temple Beth-El in San Antonio, knew she wanted to address it in a sermon. “It definitely felt like a risky sermon to give,” she said, “but I felt like I really didn’t have a choice.” In the sermon, which she titled “The Right to Choose is a Jewish Value,” Nathan took aim at the law, known as S.B. 8, and outlined how, as she put it, “Judaism has always been pro-choice.” (McShane, 5/5)

On corporate reaction and data privacy —

The Washington Post: After State Abortion Fights, Corporate America Braces For End Of Roe
The news this week caught corporate America off-guard, resulting in a barrage of worried emails and phone calls trailing into the night as corporate officials grappled with the realization that the slew of state abortion laws were simply dress rehearsals for a bigger, nationwide policy shift. “The communication with corporate parties has just been nonstop,” said Jen Stark, senior director at Tara Health Foundation, an investment firm focused on gender and racial equity. “Companies that were gearing up for impact in June are feeling the reality set in now.” (Frankel, Telford and Abril, 5/4)

The New York Times: Corporate America Doesn’t Want To Talk Abortion, But It May Have To
Some political and cultural events set off a cascade of emails from brands — sneaker, makeup and food companies telling their customers that they stand with them in a stressful time, or reminding them to vote. But after a draft opinion obtained by Politico revealed the Supreme Court’s intention to overturn Roe v. Wade, the overwhelming reaction from corporate leaders was silence. “This is an issue that many companies have shied away from,” said Miriam Warren, Yelp’s chief diversity officer. (Goldberg, Gupta and Hirsch, 5/4)

The Washington Post: Your Phone Could Reveal If You’Ve Had An Abortion
When someone gets an abortion, they may decide not to share information with friends and family members. But chances are their smartphone knows. The leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion proposing to overturn Roe v. Wade raises a data privacy flash point: If abortion becomes criminal in some states, might a person’s data trail be treated as evidence? (Fowler and Hunger, 5/4)

Abortion clinics prepare for the unknown —

NBC News: Abortion Clinics Are Bracing For Protests, Harassment And Violence If Roe Falls
Security, always a major concern for abortion clinics, just became more urgent. The leak of a U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade has clinics worried about an uptick in harassment and other aggressive activity by abortion-rights opponents outside their doors. Laurie Casey, executive director of the WE Health Clinic in Duluth, Minnesota, said she is considering hiring security guards to boost protection in the aftermath of the Supreme Court leak. If the Supreme Court indeed nullifies Roe v. Wade, several states near Minnesota — including North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan — would restrict or ban abortions. That could draw more protesters to Casey’s clinic. (Schuppe, 5/4)

The Washington Post: After Supreme Court Leak, Antiabortion Groups Cautiously Hopeful
Minutes after reading that the Supreme Court was prepared to gut Roe v. Wade, Kristan Hawkins joined a conference call to plan. The antiabortion activist had rearranged her life for this moment, even selling her house last year and moving her family into a camper to travel the country, advocating for abortion restrictions. Now a leaked majority opinion said Roe “must be overruled.” (Knowles, Roubein and Shammas, 5/4)