MADISON, Wis. – Yesterday, a new report highlighted that the majority of voters disagree with Roe v. Wade being overturned, which Ron Johnson has called “the correct decision.”
Key Points:
UpNorthNews: EXCLUSIVE: Voters Oppose National Abortion Ban and Are ‘Worried’ and ‘Angry’ Over State of Abortion Rights
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Americans widely oppose the idea of a national ban on abortion—an idea the most powerful Republican lawmaker in the country admitted was “possible”—according to a new Courier Newsroom/Data for Progress poll.
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Sixty-eight percent of likely voters across the country, including majorities of Independents and Republicans, said they oppose a national ban on abortion, with 55% saying they “strongly oppose” it. Only 24% of likely voters would support such a ban, making it a deeply unpopular idea.
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And yet, Republicans may pursue it anyway if the US Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade—as a leaked draft opinion suggests it will.
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If Roe were to be struck down, it would once again allow states to ban abortion. In Wisconsin, an 1849 law that bans abortion with no exception for victims of rape or incest would likely go back into effect, and force women to travel to Illinois or Minnesota to get care. The nation would be a patchwork of 50 states with 50 different abortion laws—unless, of course, the federal government bans abortion, which is very much on the table.
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Wisconsin’s Republican Sen. Ron Johnson—who has supported federal abortion restrictions in the past and is up for re-election in November—downplayed the impact that overturning Roe v. Wade would have on his constituents.
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“It might be a little messy for some people, but abortion is not going away,” he said, suggesting that driving across state lines to Illinois would probably be an option. “I just don’t think this is going to be the big political issue everybody thinks it is, because it’s not going to be that big a change.”
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Wisconsin Democrats disagree and believe Johnson’s views on abortion could prove costly for him in November.
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“Ron Johnson has worked tirelessly to strip people in Wisconsin and across this nation of their reproductive rights,” said Philip Shulman, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “Wisconsinites are going to send a message in November that Ron Johnson doesn’t have a right to dictate a person’s ability to make their own health care decisions.”
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The most powerful anti-abortion groups have also been explicit that they plan to push for a total ban on abortion nationwide if Republicans take back control of the White House, House, and Senate in 2024. According to the Washington Post, a group of Republican senators has even discussed introducing a bill to ban abortion at around six weeks, before many women even know they’re pregnant.
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Democrats have also tried to pass their own bill to codify the right to abortion into federal law. The Women’s Health Protection Act would guarantee abortion access free from medically unnecessary restrictions, limitations, and bans that delay, and at times, completely obstruct, access to abortion. If the proposal were to become law, it would effectively render the Supreme Court’s decision moot and override any state laws banning or restricting abortion access, guaranteeing access to care nationwide.
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The House passed the Women’s Health Protection Act earlier this year, but the bill failed in the Senate, as only 49 Senators—all Democrats, including Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin—voted to open debate on the legislation, far shy of the 60 votes needed. Johnson voted against the effort.
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The poll also found that voters are feeling unhappy about recent developments around abortion, such as the leak of the court opinion, the possibility of a national ban, and state bans on abortion that don’t include exceptions for rape or incest.
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When asked to choose up to three emotions to describe how they felt about recent developments around abortion, nearly half (47%) of respondents said they felt “worried,” while more than four in 10 reported feeling “angry” or “sad.” The negative feelings were mostly reported by Democrats and independents.
