WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tuesday marks three years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which allowed nationwide access for abortion. The Democrats are using the anniversary to jumpstart the conversation on abortion but they are also highlighting items in the Republican spending and tax plan that would strip funding for certain reproductive provisions.
“Today marks a grim anniversary in America,” said Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D- NY). “The Dobbs case will go down in history as one of the worst, most harmful aggressive decisions in modern history.”
The immediate aftermath of the Dobbs decision implemented trigger laws that banned or severely restricted abortions in several states. Democrats used the 2022 ruling as a top campaign issue.
“They’re [Republicans] sticking to the same dangerous agenda that is already denying women the care that they need, pushing maternal and reproductive healthcare providers out of red states in droves, driving a dangerous spike in pregnancy complications and maternal deaths and forcing women to stay pregnant regardless of their health or their own wishes,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D- WA).
In many deep Red states, voters supported pro-abortion measures. While abortion remained a top issue for voters, the economy and other healthcare issues ranked higher. Political scientists we spoke with told us that’s where Republicans campaigned hard on and where Democrats fell short on messaging for those topics, especially in the 2024 elections. Now, Democrats are using the anniversary of the Dobbs decision to highlight certain healthcare provisions in the Republican spending and tax bill.
“Two nasty provisions to defund Planned Parenthood and eliminate coverage for comprehensive reproductive care from the ACA marketplace,” said Sen. Schumer. “Under the Republican’s bill, if they have it their way, more than 200 planned parenthood centers in 24 states would be at the risk of closing. More than 90 percent of these closures would be in states where abortion is currently legal.”
The Democrats said they would try to remove these provisions in the spending and tax bill, but it’s unlikely they will have enough support to remove it.