Democrats are centering their 2024 campaigns on abortion and IVF. In a Tuesday appearance on MSNBC, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) announced that November’s election is all about electing Democrats “to codify Roe v. Wade into law.”
Referring to the 2022 Supreme Court decision terminating Roe, Klobuchar stated, “This came out of Dobbs. We used to have protections for the women of this country. That was called Roe v. Wade. That Dobbs decision turned it on its head.” The senator noted that the Supreme Court is currently deliberating whether or not the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) violated federal law in approving almost unrestricted access to the abortion drug mifepristone. “This is just the beginning,” Klobuchar said, “whether it’s the Alabama IVF ruling, whether it’s these cases out of Texas, whether it’s the assault on emergency care, we’re going to continue to see because of the Dobbs decision.”
“And the failure, sadly, of many Republicans to side with us on codifying Roe v. Wade into law, we are not able to do that right now,” the senator continued. “That’s why this is so important — not just this decision, but this election that’s coming up. Because we would have a bill to codify Roe v. Wade into law if we elect people who stand on the side of women making their own health care decisions.” Klobuchar concluded that Democrats “must step in, codify Roe v. Wade into law, and protect women all across the country with a simple idea that they should be able to make their own health care decisions — and not politicians.”
Democrats have made abortion a centerpiece of their 2024 campaigns, with recent messaging moves including a bill to “celebrate” abortionists and Vice President Kamala Harris’s visit to an abortion facility. Incumbent President Joe Biden has also made abortion his top reelection priority, pledging to “restore” the provisions of Roe and commemorating Roe’s anniversary, weaponizing federal agencies to commit abortions, and aggressively prosecuting and imprisoning pro-lifers.
After the Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that in-vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics could be liable for the accidental destruction of unborn embryos, Democrats decided to add IVF to their 2024 campaign roster. Biden even claimed in his State of the Union address that Republicans and pro-lifers were trying to ban IVF. In fact, Democratic State House candidate Marilyn Lands just won a special election in Alabama, campaigning predominantly on abortion and IVF.
However, recent polling has consistently shown that abortion is not a top or motivating priority for the majority of voters. This month’s Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found that abortion was an important issue for only 8% of voters, while inflation, immigration, crime, and even climate change took greater precedence. Even among Democrats, only 11% rated abortion their top issue. Those numbers are only slightly up from last month, when 7% of voters rated abortion their top issue, including only 10% of Democrats. According to the left-leaning non-profit KFF, a slightly larger share (12%) of voters rank abortion as their top issue. The organization also notes that abortion-motivated voters are more likely to support Biden and congressional Democrats than Trump and Republicans.
In December, The Washington Post warned Democrats that campaigning on abortion extremism may not be a “silver bullet” in November. With a majority of voters seeking to tackle inflation and illegal immigration at the ballot box and both Biden and congressional Democrats failing to do so, the Post’s prediction might just prove accurate.
S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.
