On The Issues: Abortion and 2024

A look at where the GOP candidates stand, and how the issue is driving voters.

View this email online This is a special NPR Politics newsletter series on the 2024 presidential campaign, designed to sort through the noise and help you understand what matters.  Nov. 16, 2023 Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, we're diving into some of the biggest issues at play in the 2024 election. Today, we take a look at abortion. On The Issues: Abortion and 2024 Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images Perhaps no issue is thornier for the 2024 Republican presidential primary candidates than abortion. Republican leaders widely cheered the 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. But since then, they have found that going too far on abortion restrictions can be a political liability.  The Dobbs decision and subsequent state-level laws restricting abortion access galvanized voters who support abortion rights. Every state ballot measure on abortion rights since Dobbs has come out in favor of abortion rights, even in red states like Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio.  On top of that, the GOP’s opposition to abortion rights has been blamed for Republican underperformance in the 2022 midterms, and last week’s state elections in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio. As a result, Republican presidential candidates are attempting a balancing act: how to appeal to a party base that, to varying degrees, opposes abortion rights, without alienating moderates, independents and general election voters who favor fewer restrictions. The result has been many broad statements about “protecting life,” without a whole lot of specifics about exactly what restrictions candidates favor.  For example, former President Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate, has dodged the question of whether he supports a federal abortion ban, not to mention what kind of gestational limits he would back. Meanwhile, Democrats see protecting abortion rights not only as a moral imperative but as a way to drive voters to the polls in 2024. Abortion rights advocates are working to put measures protecting access to the procedure onto ballots in 2024 in several swing states, in the hopes of energizing voters. President Biden has never been a passionate crusader for abortion rights. But since Dobbs, he has been more willing to campaign on the issue. And as we’ve said, it’s been a winning issue for Democrats. The question is how much it continues to drive voters in 2024, and to what degree other issues – like concerns about the economy, candidate age, or foreign conflicts – take over the conversation.                  — Danielle Kurtzleben, political correspondent Newsletter continues after sponsor message Where The GOP Candidates Stand Alyson Hurt/NPR One of the biggest questions facing GOP presidential candidates is whether they would back a federal abortion ban. They have also given a wide range of answers on what, if any, gestational limits they support. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben has this rundown of their stances. Read more Support your local station with the NPR+ podcast bundle. NPR+ is a new way to support mission-driven journalism while getting something great in return (aside from that warm & fuzzy feeling of making a difference). Enjoy sponsor-free listening from your favorite NPR podcasts, explore the 800+ episode archives of Car Talk, and even get fun bonus episodes from select shows like Fresh Air, Planet Money, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and more.  Your support means the world to us—so sign up at plus.npr.org today! Support your station with NPR+ By The Numbers Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images 61% of Americans say they mostly support abortion rights, compared to 37% who say they mostly oppose, according to an April NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.   While support for abortion rights is much higher among Democratic voters: 72% of Republicans support allowing abortion at any time in pregnancy to save the life of the pregnant person 55% of Republicans percent support exceptions for rape and incest at any time in pregnancy And only 42% of Republicans support a six-week ban, like the ones that have been proposed and passed in many GOP-held states since Dobbs — Lexie Schapitl, NPR Politics producer Voter Voices Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images "I am a Republican, but I'm also a Christian. So it's tough to put any kind of week [limit] on abortion. I'd rather we don't have it at all." – Pete Johnson, Henrico, Va. "What the Republicans, frankly, have done in this environment is they have created a window for advocates on the left to say, 'See, look! This is what we've been talking about. Our greatest fears, our nightmares, are coming true. And this is our time to stand up and fight back.’ " – Desiree Tims, who leads a progressive think tank in Ohio "I was told I was at high risk of having a stroke. Everything hurt. My vision got blurry, and I felt sharp pain when the baby moved." – Nicole Blackmon, who was denied an abortion in Tennessee and is challenging the state’s ban in court "Right now, fertility is absolutely a liability for females. Still. Nothing has changed other than the law.” – Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa of Houston, a self-described "pro-life feminist" who says the path to fewer abortions requires greater access to health care, affordable housing and birth control “I'm a Christian, and I believe all life is sacred. And life begins at conception. And we should try to support the young unborn." – Margene Eckhoff, Sioux County, Iowa  “I think every woman has a right to do what they have to do. And I don't think it's right that a politician can come in and say, ‘Well, we're going to stop this. We're going to stop that.’” – Yolanda Espinoza, Arizona — Lexie Schapitl, NPR Politics producer Essential Reading Abortion rights win big in 2023 elections, again  A year after Dobbs, the reproductive health care landscape is fragmented, chaotic and more confusing than ever Overturning Roe was the beginning of a new chapter for the anti-abortion rights movement How many miles would you have to travel to get abortion care? Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from St. Louis Public Radio (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprpolitics@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. 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