The June 2022 decision energized Democrats and abortion rights supporters into action to try to strengthen abortion protections where it was legal and to keep them from eroding where abortion was at risk.
Abortion rights advocates scored major victories in the November midterm elections but face a challenge sustaining that momentum.
Meanwhile, for Republican presidential contenders, the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has been surprisingly difficult to navigate.
GOP White House hopefuls are seeking to appeal to the party’s anti-abortion base without alienating more moderate general election voters. And the field has offered up a range of positions on the issue.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban but did so with little ceremony. He recently started speaking more openly about it, including Friday during the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in Washington.
Former President Trump, who played a consequential role in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, is taking a relatively evasive approach. He’s resisted committing to any kind of national ban and called Florida’s ban too harsh.
Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, has been the candidate leaning the most into abortion. During his speech at the Faith and Freedom conference, Pence challenged the entire GOP presidential field to support a national 15-week abortion ban.
Former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said the country needs to find “consensus” around the issue, but has also suggested it’s unrealistic to consider federal restrictions given it’s unlikely to go anywhere in Congress.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who initially offered differing answers on the issue, has suggested he supports a 15-week limit.
Leading anti-abortion group SBA Pro-Life America is pressuring Republicans to support a 15-week ban, and the group’s leaders have indicated they don’t want to hear candidates demur to letting states decide their own policies.
