CHICAGO — Democrats gathering in Chicago were greeted with a giant inflatable intrauterine device, trucks offering free vasectomies, condoms condemning Project 2025 and several speakers focused on using the issue of abortion to persuade Americans to vote blue.
Messaging about abortion is playing a key role in much of the programming at the Democratic National Convention this week, and it resonates with young people, women of color and women in general — including Republicans, said Jodi Hicks, chief executive officer and president of Planned Parenthood California.
“It’s absolutely top of mind for folks. It’s a motivating issue, more importantly,” Hicks said. “That ability to be able to be the full person that you want to be, have rights to have a family how you want — that’s not partisan.”
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, abortion has become one of Democrats’ top motivating issues. It is widely credited with helping many Democrats win in the 2022 midterm elections.
Although Republican Party leaders may have cheered the end of Roe, they have split over their next steps on the issue. Some conservatives have pushed for a nationwide abortion ban, while others — including former President Trump — have acknowledged the political challenges that come with such a strong stance. Trump has advocated leaving the issues to the states, although he also previously expressed support for a national ban after certain points in a woman’s pregnancy.
Last month, the party scrapped language from previous platforms opposing abortion. Though the platform says, “We proudly stand for families and Life,” it also called for the matter to be decided by the states. This policy shift has been criticized by many conservatives.
On the Democratic side, strategists and party leaders are hoping that reproductive rights will again turn voters out in November, especially with a woman leading the ticket. Even before she became the nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris commanded the campaign’s abortion message in a way that President Biden couldn’t. Harris hammered home the message, particularly in battleground states such as Arizona, where a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion access is on the state’s ballot.
“This issue is larger than what we can put on a single ballot measure,” said Arizona state Sen. Eva Burch, who serves as a delegate. “We have to have pro-choice candidates in positions of power, in order to protect these fundamental rights.”
In March, a video of Burch giving an emotional speech in the Arizona Legislature about her need to terminate an unviable pregnancy went viral. Weeks later, Arizona underwent a tumultuous battle over an 1864 abortion ban that was ultimately repealed.
Democratic pollster Celinda Lake described a “sea change” in polling of attitudes about abortion since Roe was overturned.
“Every state in the country is about 10 points more pro-abortion than it was,” Lake said, adding that more than 6 in 10 Americans support abortion rights and about three-quarters oppose a national abortion ban. “Abortion has arrived as an issue. It makes a difference. It motivates voters,” she said.
Laws passed in conservative states have restricted access to abortion, sometimes by making it allowable only if the woman’s life is at risk. Some states refuse to make exceptions for rape or incest. Such provisions are being targeted by Democrats.
Monday night’s DNC programming spotlighted the issue in a campaign ad featuring Josh and Amanda Zurawski. The Texas couple had been awaiting a baby girl but lost her due to pregnancy complications. Amanda nearly lost her life awaiting health care — which she said was delayed because of the state’s abortion ban.
“Instead of welcoming Willow, I was hoping Amanda’s life could be saved,” Josh Zurawski said on the DNC stage. “I’m here tonight because the fight for reproductive rights isn’t just a woman’s fight. This is about fighting for our families — and as Kamala Harris says — our future.”
The evening also featured two other women — Kaitlyn Joshua and Hadley Duvall — who described their experiences with terminating pregnancies. Joshua, a Louisiana mother, said that two emergency rooms turned her away while she was experiencing a miscarriage, and that she feared for her own life.
Duvall, a self-described “all-American girl,” said she needed an abortion at age 12, after surviving a rape by her stepfather.
“I can’t imagine not having a choice,” Duvall said. “But today, that’s the reality for many women and girls across the country because of Donald Trump’s abortion bans.”
