Gracey Zhang for NPR
Within the virtually two years since Roe v. Wade was overturned, the unintended penalties of abortion bans have develop into clearer.
NPR has reported on ladies who have been denied care for miscarriages and high-risk pregnancies, together with Jaci Statton of Oklahoma, who was instructed she needed to wait in a hospital car parking zone till her non-viable being pregnant turned life threatening.
Statton, who’s in her 20s, says hospital workers instructed her, “We can not contact you except you’re crashing in entrance of us or your blood strain goes so excessive that you’re fixing to have a coronary heart assault.”
Tales like this have elevated consciousness of how abortion bans are impacting well being care throughout being pregnant. Which may be mirrored within the outcomes of a brand new ballot from the well being analysis group KFF, which finds there’s a broad consensus – 86% of Individuals – that ladies in such pregnancy-related emergencies ought to have entry to abortion procedures.
This help crosses get together strains – together with practically 8 in 10 Republicans, says KFF pollster Ashley Kirzinger.
“Whereas they might be anti-abortion normally, they do not need to restrict entry to fundamental medical look after these ladies who’re actually experiencing form of the worst-case situations,” she says.
There may be additionally sturdy help throughout get together strains for permitting ladies to journey for medical care – together with getting an abortion. And the ballot finds most individuals don’t desire docs who carry out abortions – or ladies who’ve them – to face prison expenses.
“We see 8 in 10 Democrats, two-thirds of Independents and about half of Republicans who need to defend docs who carry out abortions from dealing with both fines or jail time,” Kirzinger says.
This contains defending docs who prescribe abortion tablets — 62% of respondents say well being care suppliers shouldn’t be prosecuted for mailing abortion tablets to sufferers who stay in states the place abortion is banned.
Relating to the 2024 election, the ballot discovered that abortion is just not the highest situation for many voters, though it does resonate strongly with sure teams.
Solely 12% of all voters say it is an important situation. However ladies of reproductive age (18 to 49), Black ladies and girls who stay in states with abortion bans have been extra more likely to rank abortion as an important situation influencing their vote this November.
Selena Simmons-Duffin contributed to this story. Jane Greenhalgh edited the radio and digital variations of the story.