Why abortion rights matter more in this US election

Is terminating a pregnancy murder? Or is access to safe abortions a fundamental right every human being should enjoy? Few issues in the United States are as emotionally charged as abortion. Along with the economy and the rising cost of living, migration and health care, abortion rights is an issue that pulls many American voters to the ballot box.

The upcoming US election on November 5 is the first presidential election since the US Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in 2022. Until then, the 1972 decision guaranteed every woman in the US the right to decide whether to continue or terminate a pregnancy. But in June 2022, a conservative majority of the nine-member Supreme Court voted to repeal this law.

It's not unusual to see protesters outside US abortion clinicsImage: Henning Goll/DW

Since then, each US state has devised its own abortion laws, some of which are very restrictive. In some Republican-ruled states such as Kentucky or Louisiana, abortions are completely illegal, even in cases of rape. In other states, abortions are only permitted until early in pregnancy, when many people do not yet realize they are pregnant.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party's candidate in 2024, appointed three conservative Supreme Court justices during his first term in office between 2017 and 2021 — all of whom voted to overturn the nationwide right to abortion.

Trump has expressed his pride in the decision, especially during a television debate against his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, in early September. "I did a great service in doing it," he said, adding that, "it took courage to do it, and the Supreme Court had great courage in doing it."

Harris has made abortion rights an essential part of her campaign. In speeches, she has tied Trump to abortion restrictions enacted in more than 20 states. She has said as president, she would work to provide access to abortion to women in the US regardless of the state where they live. 

"I will fight to restore what Donald Trump and his hand-selected Supreme Court justices took away from the women of America," Harris said during a campaign speech in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. During their debate in September, Harris said Trump would enact a national abortion ban if elected, which he denied.

"Harris is pretty clearly pro-choice and she intentionally frames abortion as an issue of freedom," said Laura Merrifield Wilson, an associate political science professor at the University of Indianapolis. People who advocate for abortion rights in the US refer to themselves as being pro-choice or as wanting the freedom of choice. "The issue is important to Democratic voters but especially female voters and younger voters."

Trump win could make it even harder to get abortions

A poll conducted between late August and early September by the Pew Research Center found that Democrats rank abortion as the third-most important issue influencing how they vote, with only health care and Supreme Court appointments of even greater importance. Both of those issues, however, are also connected to abortion rights.

This issue is also close to gynecologist Catherine Romanos' heart. In Ohio, where she works in a clinic in the city of Dayton, abortions are legal up until a fetus can survive outside the womb, so around the 23rd or 24th week of pregnancy.

Romanos fears Republicans will outlaw abortions altogetherImage: Henning Goll/DW

Romanos also treats women who cannot get abortions in their home states.

"We see patients from Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas," she told DW. "An abortion is a lonely decision as it is. And then some people come on their own as a choice because they're scared to tell the people in their life what they're doing. Crossing state lines to get health care is incredibly stigmatizing, because [to the patients] it feels like they're doing something wrong."

Romanos said she worries that if Trump wins the presidential election, Republicans could introduce further restrictions that would make it even more difficult for women to get abortions.

"I think it's not good news for anyone with a uterus or anyone who enjoys bodily autonomy," she said of a potential second Trump presidency.

Republican voters care most about economy, immigration

The Pew poll also found that the economy, immigration and the fight against violent crime were the three most important issues for Republican voters. Abortion is the third-least important issue.

"Abortion is an influential factor in mobilization, especially for Democrats," said Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, in New Jersey. "In 2016 there was a lot of mobilization on this issue for Republicans. They said, 'Don't mind the rest, he [Trump] is going to put judges on the Supreme Court!' And that's exactly what he did."

Republican voters are satisfied with the fact that US states can make their own abortion laws, which is why the issue is not at the top of the voting agenda for many of them, Dittmar told DW.

Democrats hoping for more electoral success

It's not surprising that Harris and the Democrats are always talking about abortion rights at campaign events, said Brandon Conradis, a former DW journalist who is now an editor at Washington's The Hill news outlet. "Democrats think this is an issue they can score points with," Conradis told DW. "Young, Black, women and suburban voters, core Democrat demographics — all of them approve of bringing back easy access to abortion nationwide."

Democrats have had some previous electoral success campaigning on abortion rights. Although the party in control of the White House typically loses seats in Congress during midterm elections, Democrats fared well in the November 2022 midterm vote, just months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Political observers said at the time that the court's decision served as a wake-up call that brought progressive voters to the polls. 

Although Republicans won the House of Representatives, the expected overwhelming Republican "red wave" victory did not materialize. Contrary to historical trends, Democrats were able to maintain their Senate majority and even win an extra seat. Whether advocating for strong abortion rights will also pay off for the Democrats in this election will only become clear after November 5.

This article was originally written in German.