NARAL President Ilyse Hogue Releases Statement Following First Democratic Presidential Debate

Tonight at the first Democratic presidential debate, abortion rights played a major role. Following the debate, NARAL President Ilyse Hogue released the following statement:

“Every candidate on stage tonight clearly wanted to speak to the urgent need to safeguard abortion rights, as states advance unprecedented attacks on reproductive freedom. Several candidates, including Elizabeth Warren, Jay Inslee, Amy Klobuchar, Julian Castro, and Beto O’Rourke, did a tremendous job speaking up for our values and the need to protect Roe v. Wade. We look forward to hearing from the additional candidates tomorrow. 7 in 10 Americans believe in protecting abortion rights, and now more than ever, Democrats are galvanized by the unprecedented attacks we’ve seen on reproductive freedom across the country. The Democratic field must use every opportunity to assure voters that protecting our fundamental freedoms is a top priority.”

Recent polls show Americans across the country are united around protecting abortion rights.

Reproductive freedom will be big in Iowa

• CNN poll:Abortion rights are a top issue for Democrats in Iowa, with 8 out of 10 likely caucus-goers calling it a “must-have” for any candidate they would support.

The majority understands the stakes

• Navigator Research poll: the majority of Americans believe the right to have an abortion is as risk, including 83% of Democrats, 67% of Independents, and 63% of Republicans.

Republican attacks are a boon for 2020 Democrats

• PBS Newshour/NPR/Marist poll: If Republicans continue with their attacks on reproductive freedom, it couldshift independent voters toward the Democrats ahead of 2020. According to the poll, 77% of Americans support Roe v. Wade.
• CBS News poll: Extreme bans on abortion are already a motivator for Democrats. The poll shows 63% of women Clinton voters say abortion issues will be very important to their presidential vote next year.

Importance of reproductive freedom among key voting demographics is spiking

• Morning Consult poll: Issues surrounding reproductive freedom like abortion and birth control are increasingly salient for Democratic voters as well as independent women and 18 to 29 year-olds. The importance of the issue among Democratic and independent-leaning women in particular has spiked 8 points since May.

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