With Their Eyes On 2020 Races, Republicans Latch On To Late-Term Abortion Controversies Brewing In States

The New York Times: Republicans Seize On Late-Term Abortion As A Potent 2020 Issue
When New York expanded abortion rights last week for the first time in 49 years, Democrats across the state were exultant. Now, that jubilation has been met with an equal and opposite reaction. Anti-abortion advocates, from grass-roots activists all the way to the White House, are taking aim at New York, Virginia and other states in a bid to halt similar legislative efforts by emboldened Democratic lawmakers and to mobilize supporters ahead of the 2020 presidential race. By Thursday, both President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence had leaned into the debate, homing in on provisions that would loosen some restrictions on late-term abortions. (Wang, 1/31)

Politico: Trump To Throw Spotlight On Abortion In State Of The Union
President Donald Trump is telling conservative allies he wants to incorporate firm anti-abortion language into his State of the Union address Tuesday, and potentially include an anti-abortion figure among his list of invitees, according to four sources familiar with his plans. Trump sees an opening to energize his evangelical supporters and capture moderate voters who administration officials believe may be turned off by widespread coverage of New York’s newest abortion law, which allows for termination of some pregnancies after the 24-week mark for health reasons. (Orr and Restuccia, 1/31)

The Associated Press: Abortion Quickly Becomes Key Issue In Virginia Politics
A pitched debate about late-term abortions in Virginia erupted into all-out political warfare Thursday as Republicans — including President Donald Trump — sought to capitalize on Democratic missteps. Republicans accused Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, a folksy pediatric neurologist who is personal friends with many GOP lawmakers, of backing infanticide. Republicans said recent statements by Northam and other Democrats have laid bare their support for on-demand abortions at any point of a pregnancy, including up to the moments before birth — or even after. (1/31)

The Washington Post: In Virginia, Abortion Furor Hits New Heights As Both Sides Double Down
Virginia Republicans doubled down Thursday on their effort to paint Gov. Ralph Northam and other Democrats as radicals who favor infanticide, a sharp shift in political strategy after years of trying to minimize socially divisive issues to win back suburban voters. And Democrats, who helped create the furor through missteps and unclear statements, also dug in on abortion, trying to paint Republicans as extremists looking to meddle in women’s health care. It was Day 2 of partisan warfare over an issue that hadn’t been on the Virginia political agenda for years. (Vozzella and Schneider, 1/31)

The Washington Post: Who Is Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran, The Lawmaker At The Center Of The Abortion Fight?
Virginia Del. Kathy Tran said Thursday that she “misspoke” during a legislative hearing earlier this week about a bill that would have loosened restrictions on late-term abortions. Her comments sparked death threats, and intense backlash from GOP politicians — including President Trump. “I wish that I was quicker on my feet and I wish that I was able to be more agile in that moment,” Tran, 41, a first-term Democrat from Fairfax County, said in an interview. “And I misspoke, and I really regret that.” (Olivo, 1/31)

The Washington Post: Abortion Case Provides An Unexpected Quick Test For Supreme Court Conservatives
Abortion providers in Louisiana have asked the Supreme Court for an emergency stay of a state law they say would leave only one doctor eligible to perform the procedure, an unexpectedly quick test on the issue for the court’s strengthened conservative majority. The Louisiana law — passed in 2014 but never allowed to go into effect — requires any physician providing abortion services to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the procedure. (Barnes, 1/31)

Bloomberg: Abortion Opponents Aim For First High Court Win In Kavanaugh Era 
Abortion opponents may be about to collect their first dividends from the appointment of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The court will decide in the next few days whether to temporarily block a Louisiana law that requires abortion doctors to get admitting privileges at a local hospital. The measure is almost identical to a Texas law the court struck down in 2016 as imposing an undue burden on women seeking abortions. The question is whether a change in the court’s composition since then -- with Kavanaugh replacing swing Justice Anthony Kennedy -- will lead the justices to let the Louisiana law take effect. (Stohr, 2/1)

And news comes out of New Hampshire and Kansas, as well —

Concord (N.H.) Monitor: N.H. House Kills Repeal Of Abortion Buffer Zone Law 
An effort to eliminate the use of “buffer zones” outside Planned Parenthood clinics was quashed in the House on Thursday, after lengthy arguments over free speech and privacy. House Bill 124 would have repealed a law allowing reproductive health clinics like Planned Parenthood to push back protesters up to 25 feet outside entrances to their facilities. The bill was killed as legislators voted it inexpedient to legislate on the House floor, 228-141. (DeWitt, 1/31)

KCUR: Kansas Lawmakers Introduce Plan That Would Ban All Abortions 
A proposed constitutional amendment introduced this week would effectively ban all abortions in Kansas by declaring that life begins at fertilization. Republican Rep. Eric Smith is one of the amendment’s sponsors. To him, the measure gets at the heart of the matter where recent abortion debates haven’t. (Koranda, 1/31)