In U.S. Senate races across the country, Republican candidates are celebrating the Supreme Court effectively overturning Roe v. Wade’s near-50 years of precedent by upholding Texas’ highly-restrictive, 6-week abortion ban that will “prohibit nearly all abortions in the state,” as roughly “85 to 90 percent of women who obtain abortions in Texas are at least six weeks into pregnancy.”
Republican Senate candidates’ hostility toward abortion rights and support for the Court’s decision — and implicitly or explicitly, the Texas law — is an endorsement of hardline restrictions on health care access and intrusive government (as well as private) control over deeply-personal decisions between patients and their doctors.
In battleground states, and across the country, an overwhelming majority of Americans do support abortion rights, freedom from government interference in their health care decisions, and the principles underlying Roe v. Wade. And in the months ahead, these Republican candidates will be forced to answer for their widely out-of-step support for ending abortion rights — because voters just aren’t on their side.
Arizona:
- Mark Brnovich in late July reaffirmed his support for overturning Roe v. Wade.
- Blake Masters cheered the Supreme Court’s ruling on Twitter, falsely claiming that abortion is not health care.
- Jim Lamon on his campaign website suggests he supports banning abortion health care.
Florida:
Georgia:
- Gary Black has signaled support for the Texas law and banning abortion health care.
- Kelvin King has signaled support for the Texas law and banning abortion health care.
- Latham Saddler on his campaign website suggests he supports banning abortion health care.
- Herschel Walker has so far in the GOP primary sought to burnish his anti-abortion credentials, so it’s safe to say he’s supportive of Texas’ efforts to ban abortion health care.
Nevada:
- Adam Laxalt has “described himself as an opponent of abortion and, as attorney general, signed briefs supporting restrictive abortion laws in other states.”
North Carolina:
- Ted Budd praised the Texas law going into effect, and reaffirmed his opposition to Roe v. Wade. Budd in July asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.
- Pat McCrory as governor reneged on a promise to not restrict abortion rights.
- Mark Walker as a U.S. House member sponsored legislation that anti-abortion groups praised because it would “end abortion” rights.
Ohio:
- Mike Gibbons reaffirmed his anti-Roe agenda after the Texas law went into effect.
- Jane Timken called the Court’s ruling a “victory.”
- Josh Mandel called for banning all abortion health care and overturning Roe v. Wade.
- JD Vance suggested other states pass copy-and-paste versions of the Texas law.
Pennsylvania:
- Kathy Barnette opposes abortion health care and rights.
- Sean Parnell has said that abortion health care is “evil.”
Wisconsin:
Published: Sep 3, 2021