Abortion: Arguments, Evidence and Where Politicians Stand
Whether and when abortion should be legal, and who decides.
Overview
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022), each state sets its own abortion law. Some states ban most abortions, others protect access, and voters in several states have decided the question directly through ballot measures.
Debates continue over national legislation, abortion pills prescribed by telehealth and sent by mail, exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, and limits at different stages of pregnancy.
The main sides
Those who favor restricting abortion argue
An unborn child has a right to life that the law should protect, and states should be free to protect it.
Those who favor legal access argue
Decisions about a pregnancy belong to the woman and her doctor, and bans can put women's health at risk, especially in medical emergencies.
Test statements on this issue
- Abortion should be illegal in most or all cases.
- Praying or protesting near abortion clinics should be banned within a set distance.
How ideologies line up
Average estimated answer of each ideology model to the statements above (−100 to +100).
Where 2026 candidates stand
- Troy Jackson (D, Maine Senate): Wants a federal right to abortion and points to the Maine abortion-access law he helped pass. source
- Susan Collins (R, Maine Senate): Supports abortion rights and introduced a bill to codify them with religious-objection protections, but voted against a broader 2022 abortion-rights bill. source
- Sherrod Brown (D, Ohio Senate (special)): Wants to restore the abortion protections of Roe v. Wade. source
- Jon Husted (R, Ohio Senate (special)): Describes himself as an unwavering opponent of abortion. source
- Abdul El-Sayed (D, Michigan Senate): Supports abortion rights and Planned Parenthood. source
- Mike Rogers (R, Michigan Senate): Supported extending 14th Amendment protections to the unborn. source
- James Talarico (D, Texas Senate): Wants Roe v. Wade written into law; proposed barring the Legislature from restricting abortion access. source
- Ken Paxton (R, Texas Senate): Backed Texas's near-total abortion ban and sued to stop abortion pills from being shipped into Texas. source
- Mary Peltola (D, Alaska Senate): Pledges to protect the right to choose and opposed overturning Roe. source
- Dan Sullivan (R, Alaska Senate): Supported overturning Roe and says abortion policy belongs to the states. source
- Josh Turek (D, Iowa Senate): Introduced a bill to repeal Iowa's six-week abortion ban. source
- Ashley Hinson (R, Iowa Senate): Cosponsored the Life at Conception Act and opposes taxpayer-funded abortions. source
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