WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – Political analysts say abortion rights is a hot button issue expected to ignite voters and especially women voters in the 2022 midterm elections.
“I think it’s going to be a pivotal issue,” said Professor Jessica Waters of the American University in Washington, D.C. Waters anticipates the fight over abortion access will play out at the ballot box. “I think women will mobilize,” she said. “A majority of the country supports some access to legal abortion care and I think we’ll see voters vote that way.”
In the state of Alabama, abortion is currently legal. However, in 2019, Governor Kay Ivey signed the Human Life Protection Act into law. The law makes it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion except when necessary to prevent a serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother. A federal legal challenge based on Roe vs. Wade is keeping the law from being enforced. The Supreme Court could overturn the 1973 landmark case this summer. The anticipated decision is stirring a passionate debate on both sides of the issue.
Carol Tobias is the president of the National Right to Life organization. “50 years ago, the Supreme Court made up, they created a right and said it was in the Constitution,” said Tobias. “We now have a court that is pulling back saying that was an egregious error.”
Alisha Gordon is the founder of The Current Project. It’s an advocacy organization that supports Black single mothers. Gordon says the right to abortion access should be top of mind for all voters. “It’s so critical for us to be mindful of the importance of local elections,” said Gordon. “Where local elections have the power and give people agency to make decisions about their own lives. Their own well-beings.”
The Senate failed to pass legislation in early May that would have ensured abortion access across the country.
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