Eve is here. While many women are understandably outraged by the loss of abortion rights under Roe v. Wade, it is quite disingenuous to portray Democrats as staunch defenders of abortion rights. As well as the Democratic Party’s virtual “fight” for workers when it presided over the erosion of the right to organize (which may have been strengthened by law) and a dangerously tenuous effort on raising the minimum wage. There has been a long and notable gap between economic signals and actions towards workers. Abortion front line.
Let’s start with the problem this article skips over. That’s because Democrats don’t even appear to be considering national abortion legislation by pushing ballot initiatives at the state level. However, in Europe, most states that provide for abortion have made these protections a matter of law. Democrats have long been concerned about abortion as a political issue, whether in the 1970s at the height of feminism, when despair over the financial crisis and a majority that opposed the filibuster gave Obama resistance, or at the beginning of Obama’s first term. did nothing to secure an abortion at a time when it would have been uncontroversial. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity to pass fundamental reforms of all kinds, not just financial ones. He punted instead.
Let me tell you, the feminist activists of the 1970s were equally guilty. They focused on the Equal Rights Amendment, which would certainly be unattainable, rather than ensuring security, equal pay for equal work, and the right to abortion, which are the most important elements. The new law could have made it easier. But what happens to those donations if the “battle” is won?
Another basis for criticizing Democrats and dishonest feminists is that Congress is packed with conservatives. Where were the feminists when Democrats supported these appointments and did so in the overwhelming majority of cases? I don’t remember a peep about this, even though its clear intent was to advance the entire right-wing agenda, including the “right to life.” So even though Mr. Trump was pro-abortion before winning the Republican nomination in 2016, then turned anti-abortion, it paints the loss of federal abortion rights as yet another hair-raising evil. is misleading. This change came as a result of a decades-long campaign.
And for families struggling to make ends meet until their next paycheck, or choosing between paying rent and gas, the right to an abortion is a relative luxury. Poverty has increased markedly under the Biden administration, and voters have made it clear that the economy and immigration (which is thought to impact wages and the cost of rental housing in areas where the increase is significant) are top priorities. .
Written by Susan Varney, formerly a senior correspondent at KFF Health News. It was first published in KFF Health News
Voters in Arizona, Missouri and Nevada chose Tuesday to advance protections for abortion rights in their state constitutions. Donald Trump, on the other hand, is likely to win the White House and win all three states.
That poses a challenge for Democrats, who had hoped that abortion rights voting efforts in those states would boost the prospects of their candidates, including Vice President Kamala Harris. But data from VoteCast, a massive survey of U.S. voters conducted by The Associated Press and partners including KFF, shows that about 10 voters in Arizona, Missouri and Nevada who supported abortion rights measures It turns out that three people also voted for Trump.
“There were a lot of people who voted for abortion access but also voted for Donald Trump,” said Liz Hummel, director of public opinion and research at KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News. speak
VoteCast is the next survey. Over 115,000 registered voters It was conducted in all 50 states from October 28th to November 5th. The survey aims to “understand as accurately as possible who voted and why.” According to the Associated Press.
About one in four voters polled said abortion was the “single most important” factor in their vote, but that number was lower among Democrats, young women, black adults, and Hispanic adults. It was expensive.
Abortion rights referendums were passed Tuesday in seven states, including Missouri and Arizona, overturning their respective bans. Vice President Kamala Harris has made reproductive rights a cornerstone of her campaign, but VoteCast’s results confirmed previous research that showed economic concerns were the top issue in the election.
Tuesday’s election was the first presidential election since the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority was overturned. Roe vs. Wade. During his first term, President Trump nominated three Supreme Court justices who later joined the 2022 decision eliminating women’s constitutional right to abortion care.
Mike Islam, 20, voted for Trump in Madison, Wisconsin, where he is a full-time student. She said abortion was “a woman’s right” and “definitely was in the back of my mind” when she voted.
“I don’t think much will change” regarding access to abortion during President Trump’s second term, he said. “I think his policy is to just give it back to the states and from there the states can decide how important it is.”
The survey found that the percentage of voters who said abortion was the most important factor in their vote was similar in states with and without abortion measures on their ballots.
According to the survey results, voters were strongly motivated to vote by economic concerns and the cost of filling up their gas tank, housing, and food. Mr. Trump certainly won over these voters in battleground states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as well as in Republican states.
Republican campaign strategist Glenn Bolger said the 2022 election results show that Republican candidates are better off talking about the economy and the cost of living than they are about abortion.
Bolger said Trump’s voters, who supported the abortion rights amendment this year, may have decided to accept him “on Trump’s word that he would not support a national ban.” . In voting for Trump, he said, Trump’s supporters may have thought, “I’m going to vote for him based on the cost of living, health care, gas, and everything else.”
The VoteCast survey found stronger support for abortion voting among female voters (72% of women in Nevada, 69% in Arizona, and 62% in Missouri).
Erica Wallace, 39, of Miami, voted for Harris and in favor of Florida’s abortion rights ballot measure, which fell just short of the 60% threshold needed to amend the state constitution. .
“As a grown woman, you go out and work and live your life,” says Wallace, an executive director who lives in Miami. The state’s ban criminalizes abortions before many women even realize they are pregnant, they said, amounting to unequal treatment of women.
“I pay taxes. I live well,” she said. “I’m doing everything that other citizens are doing.”
Men were more likely to vote against protecting abortion rights. On abortion rights ballot initiatives, men voted 67% in Nevada, 64% in Arizona, and 55% in Missouri.
A VoteCast poll found that voters overall think Harris is better at managing health care. This is consistent with the long-held view that “Democrats traditionally have an advantage in health care,” Hamel said. Still, Mr. Trump’s approval rating exceeded Ms. Harris among more than half of voters who said they were very concerned about health care costs.
Family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance increased 7% in 2024 to an average of $25,572 per year, according to KFF. 2024 Employer Health Benefits Survey. On average, workers contribute $6,296 a year to the cost of family insurance.
“Everyone is affected by high health care costs, but no one has a solution,” Bolger said. “That’s something voters are very dissatisfied with.”
Florence Robbins in Madison, Wisconsin, and Dennis Hruby in Miami contributed to this report.
