After years of calling for federal restrictions on abortion, Republicans adopted a party platform this week at their national convention that reflects a shift toward former President Donald Trump’s latest stance on the issue: states should decide.
“It should be up to the state,” Cindy Spray, a delegate from Florida, said. “It should have never been at the national level.”
Support among Americans for abortion access has risen in the two years since the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade ruling was overturned. In a poll from PBS News/NPR/Marist last year, 61 percent of Americans said they generally supported abortion rights, including about a third of Republicans.
In the last two years, 14 states have adopted abortion bans, and half a dozen more set early gestational limits on the procedure, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The conversation around limiting abortion has expanded to in vitro fertilization and contraception. Senate Republicans last month blocked a bill from Democrats to protect IVF nationwide.
The issue is more nuanced for delegates who spoke to PBS News at this week’s Republican National Convention.
Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show.
Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe
PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG
Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6
Follow us:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews
X (formerly know as Twitter): https://www.twitter.com/newshour
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newshour
Facebook: https://www.pbs.org/newshour
