Source: NC Newsline
A new survey from the health policy think tank KFF underscores the overwhelming support for reproductive freedom and personal connection to abortion rights many younger American women have. The survey of more than 3,900 U.S. women ages 18 to 49 was conducted earlier this summer and found that 74% of women under 50 think abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Seven in ten women (70%) of reproductive age support a nationwide right to an abortion and 74% oppose the current state-by-state patchwork of abortion laws. Many women under 50 have a personal connection to abortion. One in seven women (14%) have had an abortion at some time in their lives, a number that is evenly spread among those who identify as Republicans, Democrats, or Independents. Black women (21%) and Latinas (19%) are more likely to have had an abortion than white women (11%). And 13% of women living in states with abortion bans personally know someone who has had difficulty getting an abortion since the fall of Roe.
Despite the overwhelming support for and personal connections to abortion rights, the patchwork of laws has made it difficult for these young women to keep up with the rules governing their bodily autonomy. Less than half (45%) of American women under 50 are aware of the current status of abortion policy in their state. Nearly a quarter describe the status incorrectly (23%) and a third are unsure about the status of abortion in their state (32%). What’s more, more than a quarter (26%) of these women say if they needed an abortion they would not know where to go nor where to find information.
Abortion rights continue to be a central point in this fall’s presidential election. Kamala Harris has long been a vocal advocate of reproductive rights and earlier this year became the first sitting vice president to tour an abortion clinic. Meanwhile, Donald Trump and the backers behind Project 2025 are seeking to implement a nationwide abortion ban. In-person early voting for the 2024 general election starts Oct. 17 in North Carolina.
