Two years ago, on a morning in late June, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision and upending abortion access in the United States. Since then, we have witnessed a dizzying landscape of draconian abortion bans, new restrictions, and reverberating impacts throughout the country.
But in the two years since the Dobbs ruling, we have also seen unprecedented civic action to push through ballot initiatives safeguarding access and state legislative attempts to expand and protect the availability of abortion care in protective states. Two years after Dobbs, we have more evidence than ever that this is not only a key human rights and social justice issue but also a top priority for Americans.
This week, IWPR released new polling that shows what we consistently hear from communities across the country: abortion access remains a critical concern, and we need policy action to ensure that everyone has access to the care they need. The poll, commissioned by IWPR and conducted by Morning Consult, found that three in four adults (73 percent) say reproductive rights are an important policy area to them and their families, including half (47 percent) who say this is a very important policy area. Not surprisingly, it is a particularly salient issue for women of reproductive age (18–45), of whom 58 percent say it is a very important issue.
The poll also delves into further detail about concerns and challenges, both present and future. About half (51 percent) of adults who live in states with current abortion access say that they are concerned about the future of abortion access in their state; concern is substantially higher among Democratic women (70 percent of whom expressed concern). Fears about the future of reproductive health care extend well beyond abortion, with three in five (60 percent) of adults expressing concern about the future of birth control access.
The poll also complements what we know about abortion care. With over a dozen states now implementing abortion bans and an ever-changing legal landscape, abortion access is riddled with new and shifting barriers for many people. Just 51 percent of women of reproductive age expressed confidence that they could access an abortion if they needed one; this figure is substantially higher (67 percent) for women of reproductive age living in states that currently have abortion access. State abortion laws (42 percent) and costs (42 percent) were the two most commonly cited barriers to the ability to access abortion care.
The shifting legal and practical landscape also translates into some ongoing confusion and knowledge gaps for people who might need care. Among women of reproductive age, almost a quarter (23 percent) don’t know whether abortion is currently legal in the state where they live. Even where it is legal, many people don’t know where to go for care: in states with abortion access, 63 percent of adults and 48 percent of women of reproductive age report that they do not know the location of the nearest abortion clinic to them.
Given the importance and uncertainty highlighted in this survey, it is perhaps not surprising that respondents also underscored their desire for congressional action and leadership. Two-thirds (66 percent) of adults called on Congress to pass legislation guaranteeing a right to access abortion, with 42 percent of those calling congressional action very important. Once again, the issue was most salient for Democratic women, with 89 percent highlighting the need for congressional action and 72 percent underscoring that it was very important. However, we saw significant support among women across party lines, with about half (48 percent) of Republican women and 63 percent of Independent women calling for action.
Two years after Dobbs, we continue to see widespread and devastating repercussions across the country. Many of these play out in the headlines, including women denied access to abortion care in extreme and sometimes deadly situations, but most happen daily in our communities—pregnant people who are denied the ability to make their own decisions about their bodies and their lives, or who are forced to travel great distances at great cost to get the care they need. There is a widespread body of evidence about the substantial—and often long-term—impacts of being denied a wanted abortion on women and their families. IWPR has also recently published new data demonstrating the significant impact these bans and restrictions have on state economies, estimating that the 16 states with either an abortion ban or extreme restrictions cost the national economy $68 billion annually. The restrictions also have significant impacts on the availability of other health care, including contributing to provider shortages and maternity care deserts.
It’s been two years since Dobbs, but the issue is more critical now than ever. Abortion access remains a key concern for Americans, and they are looking to their elected leaders for action.
