"US 59% Do Not Support Supreme Court Ruling on Abortion Rights"... Midterm Election Issue

On the 25th (local time), the day after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the precedent guaranteeing abortion rights, anti-abortion protesters (left) argued with abortion advocates in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, DC. The U.S. Supreme Court officially overturned the 1973 'Roe v. Wade' ruling that legalized abortion for women the previous day. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] A poll revealed that 6 out of 10 Americans do not support the U.S. Supreme Court's official overturning of the so-called 'Roe v. Wade' ruling, which guaranteed women's abortion rights. With the upcoming U.S. midterm elections in November, abortion is emerging as a new political issue.

On the 26th (local time), a recent poll conducted by CBS News in collaboration with polling firm YouGov showed that 59% of respondents answered that they 'do not support the Supreme Court ruling.' Those who supported it accounted for 41%. Additionally, 58% favored the enactment of federal legislation legalizing abortion, while 42% opposed it. This survey was conducted over two days starting from the 24th, when the Supreme Court officially overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling, targeting 1,591 adults.

The Roe v. Wade ruling legalized abortion for women up to six months of pregnancy, and with the Supreme Court reversing it after about 50 years, the decision on whether to maintain or abolish abortion rights will now fall under the authority of each state government and legislature. This means that within the U.S., whether abortion is permitted will vary depending on the state. The Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights advocacy group, estimates that 26 out of the 50 states, including those with trigger laws, will effectively ban abortion. Some states, such as Louisiana, have already implemented immediate abortion bans.

The Democratic Party, seeing that more people oppose the Supreme Court ruling, appears determined to make this a key issue in the upcoming midterm elections. Abortion rights are considered one of the most sharply divisive issues between progressive and conservative camps. The Washington Post (WP) reported that "the Supreme Court ruling has added a new element to the midterm election competition."

Democratic candidates for federal Congress, state governments, and state legislatures running in the midterms have all expressed their intention to highlight this issue as a frontline topic. Their argument is that only if the Democrats hold the majority can federal legislation guaranteeing abortion rights be enacted. Cheri Beasley, who is running for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, appealed for support, saying, "We are facing a watershed moment for constitutional rights." In particular, within the Democratic Party, there seems to be an expectation that this abortion issue will consolidate votes in suburban areas known as 'swing voters.'

On the other hand, the Republican Party plans to emphasize economic issues, which are a blind spot for President Biden, even though the abortion ruling may work somewhat against them. John Brabender, a Republican campaign expert, told WP, "The universal issue is concern about the economy," adding, "This will drive the election more than any other issue." Samantha Block, spokesperson for the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, stated, "The Supreme Court ruling has returned the abortion issue to the states," and added, "The biggest concerns for voters remain rising prices, soaring crime, and the disaster at the southern border, and nothing changes that."