Critical Senate Races and Their Impact on the Reproductive Freedoms of Women

October 10, 2024 | Written by G.K.

The Presidential Election

2024 will be my first chance to vote in a presidential election. I cannot imagine a more important election. This year we have Kamala Harris, an unabashed and vigorous defender of reproductive rights, running against Donald Trump who often tries to confuse voters repeatedly changing or some might say “by lying” about abortion issues. Trump has gone so far as to say women seeking an abortion should be punished! “While he was still a GOP candidate for president, Trump said those who seek abortions should be subject to ‘some form of punishment.’ Asked in an MSNBC town hall whether there should be punishment, Trump said: ‘The answer is that there has to be some form of punishment.’” ²⁹ If he wants to ban abortion or is unwilling to say where he stands on abortion, how is Trump a major party candidate? The only sure way to protect a woman’s right to choose is to vote for Harris.

United States Senate Races

While the upcoming race for the presidency is critical for the future of women’s rights, the battle over senate seats in swing states is also important A Democratic senate majority could allow the passage of legislation to reinstate abortion rights and block current threats on birth control and contraception. Below is an outline of the positions of both Democratic and Republican candidates abortion.

Nevada

Current Abortion Laws: Abortion is legal until the 24th week of pregnancy ²⁸

Jacky Rosen, Democratic Senate Candidate: Rosen is a strong supporter of women’s rights and reproductive freedoms. After Roe v. Wade was overturned by the supreme court, she helped introduce the Women’s Health and Protection Act, which would, if passed, grant women reproductive protections and access to abortion services nationwide. She is also a strong supporter of women’s health clinics and is endorsed by pro-choice organizations such as Planned Parenthood, Reproductive Freedom for All, and EMILYs List¹.

Sam Brown, Republican Senate Candidate: Sam Brown has had a history of expressing anti abortion sentiments, despiste trying to hide his radical anti abortion views ahead of the upcoming election. In July 2023, a page on his website stated that “Every life is precious, and it is in our American interest that we protect the lives of unborn babies just as we would protect the life of any other American. As a Senator, I will oppose any federal funding of abortion and only support U.S. Supreme Court Justices who understand the importance of protecting Life.” This sentiment gives no regard to exceptions for rape or incest and strictly opposes women’s freedoms and reproductive rights ².

Montana

Current Abortion Laws: Abortion remains legal until viability ²⁸

Jon Tester, Democratic Senate Candidate: Jon Tester supports not only women’s reproductive freedoms, but their access to education and equal pay in the workforce. He is a strong supporter of Planned Parenthood funding and is currently working with the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve the quality and accessibility of health care for female veterans³. He has also voted in support of the Reproductive Freedom for Women Act, legislation which supports the return of protections offered by Roe v. Wade ⁴.

Tim Sheehy, Republican Senate Candidate: Sheehy takes a strong anti-abortionstance. In a 2023 audio clip obtained by NBC News, Sheehy can be heard claiming that young women are “indoctrinated” on the issue of abortion ⁵. He has also been heard falsely accusing Democrats of supporting abortions up to the time of birth, highlighting his radical pro-life stance. Sheehy’s position in the senate would be dangerous for the rights and lives of women across the state ⁶.

Arizona

Current Abortion Laws: Abortion is banned at 15 weeks of pregnancy ²⁸

Ruben Gallego, Democratic Senate Candidate: Gellego has not only voiced his support for women’s reproductive freedoms, but his campaign has worked to collect signatures for an amendment to the state’s constitution that would make abortions a “fundamental right” until the 24th week of pregnancy⁷. Furthermore, in the House, Gallego co-sponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act and My Body, My Data Act to protect women’s rights to privacy and their medical history⁸.

Kari Lake, Republican Senate Candidate: Kari Lake has a history of supporting abortion bans. While she has taken a more moderate stance on the issue in her current campaign, she expressed that the overturning of Roe v. Wade was a “great law” and that she was “thrilled” by the decision during her failed gubernatorial race. At this time, she also said that abortion pills should be illegal. This threat is to both Arizona’s current abortion laws and access to emergency contraceptives places the lives of Arizona women at risk and strips them of the right to their body⁹.

Texas

Current Abortion Laws: Abortion is banned with no exceptions for rape or incest ²⁸

Colin Allred, Democratic Senate Candidate: Allred has a history of supporting pro-choice legislation during his time in the House. In early 2024, he voted against the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act, which stigmatizes students and provides them with false information about abortion access and their rights to such. He also voted against the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, which diverts funding from health care support for pregnant women and their families to pro-life organizations that fail to provide women with options and access to abortion care. Both Acts threaten the lives of women and strip away their right to choose ¹⁰.

Ted Cruz, Republican Senate Candidate: Cruz is a strong anti-abortion politician and has backed some of the most extreme abortion bans in the country. In Texas, abortions are illegal with no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. Cruz was also one of 26 senators to sign into an amicus curiae supporting the current Idaho’s attorney general’s bid to overrule the Biden administration’s directive that requires emergency rooms to provide abortion care to patients when the life of the mother is at risk. This sentiment goes against that of the Department of Health and Human Services, which stressed the dire need for emergency abortions in the case of impending death of the mother. The re-election of Senator Cruz poses life-threatening risks to women across the state and would continue to suppress their reproductive and personal freedoms.

Michigan

Current Abortion Laws: Abortion remains legal until viability ²⁸

Elissa Slotkin, Democratic Senate Candidate: Slotkin is a supporter of women’s rights and access to abortion nationwide. She is backed by Reproductive Freedom for all and Planned Parenthood¹¹. A vote for Slotkin is a vote in support of women’s right to choose when, how, and if they want to start a family. In a recent debate with her republican counterpart Mike Rogers, she attacked him for his long-existing pro-life stance and support of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, stating that he has “30 years of being unilaterally pro-life, of never breaking once with his party on this issue. It is not a talking point to women. It’s our lives. It’s whether we bleed to death in a parking lot.” ¹²

Mike Rogers, Republican Senate Candidate: As addressed by Slotkin in their recent debate, Rogers has a long history of supporting pro-life legislation. In the past, he has supported legislation to “define human life as the beginning of conception”, which would place access to IVF and contraceptives at risk¹³. In a recent 2023 discussion on Michigan Public Television’s “Off the Record”, he expressed, “I’m a pro-life guy, I’ve voted pro-life, and I don’t walk away from that.” ¹⁴ Rogers extreme view in favor of pro-life legislation could place women in Michigan at risk and further strip them of their reproductive rights if he’s elected in November.

Florida

Current Abortion Laws: Abortion is banned at 6 weeks of pregnancy, with no outline exceptions for rape or incest ²⁸

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Democratic Senate Candidate: Mucarsel-Powell is taking a unique and powerful stance on abortion laws in Florida. Her pro-choice sentiment centers around her family’s experience with immigration, as she urges voters to view the strict abortion ban in her state and the overturning of Roe v. Wade as a direct attack on the freedom they sought in the United States¹⁵. In a recent interview with Elle, she harshly criticized the current abortion laws in Florida, which require women who are rape or incest survivors to provide proof and documentation of the assults before they are afforded an abortion¹⁶. The election of Debbie Mucarsel-Powell would be a victory for reproductive rights for all women in the state and the protection of healthcare access for minority women.

Rick Scott, Republican Senate Candidate: Scott has recently been notorious for his wavering stance on abortion. However, one thing is clear: his pro-life history. In 2023, he commented on the 6-week abortion ban in Florida, stating, “ If I was still governor, I would sign this bill.”¹⁶ Throughout his time in the senate, he has supported pro-life legislation and expressed his support for the overturning of Roe v. Wade ¹⁷. Re-election of Senator Scott would ensure that the dangerous 6-week abortion ban in Florida continues and that the rights of women, especially minorities, continue to be diminished.

Ohio

Current Abortion Laws: Abortion is legal until 22 weeks ²⁸

Sherrod Brown, Democratic Senate Candidate: Brown is a strong supporter of reproductive freedoms and expressed this in a recent op-ed that he wrote for the Cincinnati Enquirer. In his piece, he expressed that “ this November, the choice is clear: it’s between protecting the freedom Ohioans have demanded, and a politician who wants to take it away − who thinks he knows better.” ¹⁹ During his senate race, he received endorsements from Planned Parenthood and Reproductive Freedom For All. In the senate, he also supported the Right to IVF Act, the Right to Contraception Act, and the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2023. However, his work on supporting womens’ freedoms is far from over²⁰. It’s imperative that Brown be re-elected in order to protect the rights of women in Ohio and across the U.S.

Bernie Moreno, Republican Senate Candidate: Bernie Moreno has expressed radical support for the pro-life movement. In a recent interview, he horrifyingly joked that the founding fathers would “murder you” if you were in support of abortion¹⁸. Such sentiment not only attacks the rights of women, but also warps the notion of patriotism in our country. He went on to say that “you do have to take personal responsibility. Abortion is a heinous crime. It is certainly not health care. It is certainly not birth control. But yet here we are doing it.” Having a leader like Moreno in office, who cares nothing about the struggles of victims of rape or incest, making decisions about women’s bodies is nothing shy of horrific. No one, other than women themselves, should be making decisions about their reproductive circumstances. That’s why it’s critical that people in Ohio cast their vote for the candidate that trusts women and supports their freedoms.

Pennsylvania

Current Abortion Laws: Abortion is legal until 24 weeks ²⁸

Bob Casey, Democratic Senate Candidate: Casey has fought hard in the Senate to protect, and now reinstate, women’s reproductive freedoms. He supported the advancement of the Women’s Health Protection Act to restore the rights granted by Roe v. Wade and is currently fighting to protect IVF access and prevent bans on contraceptives ²¹. Casey, unlike most democrats, began his political career as a “pro-life Democrat”. While he stressed that he wasn’t a major supporter of abortion, he also voiced his support for women and children before and after birth. After Roe v. Wade was overturned, however, he acknowledged that this decision placed womens’ lives at risk and expressed that “our daughters and granddaughters should not grow up with fewer rights than their mothers.” ²² This election cycle, Casey has promised to fight for the freedoms of women and their right to make decisions about their bodies.

Dave McCormick, Republican Senate Candidate: Unlike Casey, Dave McCormick is a strong pro-life advocate. Following the supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, he expressed that the decision was a “huge victory for the protection of innocent life.” ²² McCormick’s position in the senate could pose a significant threat to women in Pennsylvania and across the U.S. as their reproductive rights lay on the line.

Maryland

Current Abortion Laws: Abortion remains legal until viability ²⁸

Angela Alsobrooks, Democratic Senate Candidate: As a strong pro-choice supporter, Alsobrooks has promised to fight for the rights of women if elected to office ²². She has stated her support for the Women’s Health Protection Act and criticized former Governor of Maryland and republican Senate Candidate Lary Hogan for vetoing abortion care legislation in a recent debate with Hogan ²³. A vote for Alsobrooks would be a step towards a Democratic majority senate and the possibility of reinstating reproductive freedoms for Americans in Maryland and across the country.

Larry Hogan, Republican Senate Candidate: As former Governor of Maryland, Hogan has voiced his pro-life stance and taken actions to diminish the reproductive rights of the women he represented. In 2022, he vetoed a measure that would have increased access to abortion care across the state ²⁴. When the legislature overruled this, he withheld funding to train nonphysicians to perform abortion procedures and treatments. During his time as Governor, Hogan highlighted his lack of trust in women and respect for their personal freedoms. If elected to the Senate, he will continue pushing pro-life policies and blocking those that protect the lives of women and their rights.

Wisconsin

Current Abortion Laws: Abortion Remains legal until 22 weeks ²⁸

Tammy Baldwin, Democratic Senate Candidate: Baldwin was a leader in fighting for women’s rights following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. She was a key writer of the Women’s Health and Protections Act and introduced the bill with the goal of reinstating access to abortion care and other protections that were available before the ruling ²⁵.In a recent press conference, Baldwin expressed the detrimental effects of the Supreme Court’s ruling on not just women’s rights, but the healthcare system as a whole in Wisconsin. She stated that “Now, we’re seeing fewer doctors choose Wisconsin to start their careers, which means fewer doctors to deliver babies and fewer doctors to give necessary routine care. We have a solution and it’s passing our bill to finally restore Roe and let women decide what is best for them. Not the federal government. Not state governments. Women.”²⁶ If re-elected, Baldwin will continue to fight for the protections of women’s reproductive rights and improve health care for not only women, but all Americans living in Wisconsin.

Eric Hovde, Republican Senate Candidate: Hovde is an outspoken pro-life supporter. Although he is more lenient than some, taking into account exceptions for rape, incest, and the safety of the mother, he had stated that deadlines should be placed very early on in a pregnancy for abortions to be legal ²⁶. Furthermore, he noted that he did not support the passing of legislation to reinstate the protections offered by Roe v. Wade, placing not only the women in his own state at risk, but those across the country.

Conclusion

This year, I will vote and urge my friends and family to vote as if their lives and the lives of women in their lives depended on their votes because they do.

Sources

International Mosaic

A Kaleidoscope of Different Ideas

Critical Senate Races and Their Impact on the Reproductive Freedoms of Women

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