As the midterm election results rolled in this past November, it soon became clear that Republicans were failing to achieve the large gains that many had predicted. Postelection analyses showed that abortion was one of the main reasons for this surprising result. The Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which had been the law of the land for nearly half a century, came as a shock to the many Americans who had taken access to abortion for granted, and who then went to the polls in large numbers to express their dismay. The sting of loss was felt more intensely than the pleasure of gain: Those who were disturbed by the decision rated abortion as more important in determining their vote than did those who supported the court’s decision.
Republicans who hoped the issue would fade have been disappointed. State ballot measures and elections have kept the controversy alive, and the new controversy over the abortion medication mifepristone has turned up the heat. A recent Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that a majority of Americans favor continued access to this drug. It also finds that “Americans who say abortion is a very important voting issue” think Democrats do a “better job” addressing it than Republicans by a margin of 52% to 27%. The Republican Party has taken the minority position on an election-determining issue and is divided about how to respond.
