The Quickie: Record Breaking Number of Americans Dissatisfied with Current Abortion Laws 

Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.

In today’s Quickie: nearly 7 in 10 Americans dissatisfied with current abortion laws according to Gallup, cruel plan to repeal rape and incest exceptions in West Virginia abortion ban, and our weekly state fights lookahead. 

RECORD BREAKING NUMBER OF AMERICANS DISSATISFIED WITH CURRENT ABORTION LAWS: On Friday, Gallup released new polling data showing that a staggering 69% of Americans are dissatisfied with U.S. abortion policy, the highest dissatisfaction rate in the last 23 years. A plurality of Americans (46%) support less strict abortion policies, which represents a 16 point increase from last January. 

“Record percentages in all party groups are now dissatisfied and call for less strict abortion laws, but the 74% of Democrats with these attitudes is up the most -- 31 points in one year,” the report authors wrote. “The same response rose 13 points among independents to 44%, and it was statistically unchanged and far lower, at 17%, among Republicans."

Additionally, for the first time, Gallup found that pluralities of Protestants (37%) and Catholics (38%) were dissatisfied with abortion policy and a majority of those with no religious affiliation (69%) were dissatisfied and wanted less strict abortion policy. 

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: abortion rights are extremely popular. Anti-abortion politicians are totally out of touch with the average American, which polling continues to demonstrate. 

View Gallup’s polling here. Read more at Forbes and the Hill. 

THE CRUEL PLAN TO REPEAL RAPE AND INCEST EXCEPTIONS FROM WEST VIRGINIA’S ABORTION BAN: In a wanton display of cruelty last week, 14 West Virginia lawmakers signed on to a bill (SB 584) that would remove the already-narrow exceptions for some survivors of rape and incest from the state’s near-total abortion ban, which was enacted last fall. If passed, this bill would force survivors of sexual assault to carry their pregnancy to term against their will or try to find the resources to flee their state for abortion.

“It is beyond comprehension that 14 legislators elected to serve the people of West Virginia believe that their most vulnerable constituents who have experienced unthinkable trauma should be denied their already limited access to essential health care — so strongly that they’re willing to make it a political priority,” said Alisa Clements, Director of Public Affairs at Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic. “Not only is this a shockingly cruel and callous display of anti-abortion extremism, it’s also a gross political misstep. This bill is radical by any measure — even politicians who oppose abortion in other states have refused to vote for bans without basic exceptions. Any law that restricts a person’s ability to make their own medical decisions is unacceptable, but this attempt to make an already-inhumane abortion ban even more restrictive is truly beyond the pale.”

STATE FIGHTS LOOK AHEAD: Several proactive and defensive bills continue to advance this week.

• Proposed abortion bans are moving rapidly in South Carolina: On Wednesday, floor debate on a total ban will begin in the House, and last week, the Senate passed a six-week ban nearly identical to the one struck down by the South Carolina Supreme Court last month.
• This week, the Senate Public Health and Welfare committee in Kansas will hold a hearing on a ban on gender-affirming care for those under 21 and a telemedicine abortion ban. Another abortion ban, HB 2181, was also introduced and referred to the Public Health and Welfare Committee.
• The Utah Senate passed a resolution that would amend the rules of civil procedure to prevent litigants from securing a preliminary injunction unless they can demonstrate the case has a substantial likelihood of success–a much steeper threshold than current Utah law. The resolution specifically targets the hold on Utah’s abortion trigger ban which has been in place since June, following Planned Parenthood Advocates of Utah’s challenge to the law. The resolution is expected to be heard this week by the House for concurrence.
• The New Hampshire House Committee on Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs continues to consider a number of bills related to sexual and reproductive health: 
  • On Wednesday, the committee will hear public testimony on a constitutional amendment that would protect the right to reproductive liberty; a measure to repeal New Hampshire’s ban on abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy, which contains only narrow physical health exceptions; and a measure to repeal criminal penalties for abortion providers under the state’s abortion ban. 
  • On Thursday, the same committee will hear testimony on several anti-abortion bills: a so-called “born alive” measure that would limit options for pregnant people experiencing complications and premature birth; a measure that would impose a 24-hour forced delay period and require providers to give patients false information about medication abortion; and a measure that would ban abortion after approximately six weeks of pregnancy. 
  • Last week, the committee met in executive session regarding a measure (HB 615) that would block funding for family planning providers and require “independent audits” of the organizations’ funds, regardless of whether they provide abortion, as well as a measure that would impose new abortion reporting requirements on providers (HB 582). 
• Two abortion-related bills passed the Oklahoma Senate Health and Welfare committee. One bill provides exceptions to the total ban and one clarifies that Oklahoma law does not prohibit contraception. 
• Connecticut lawmakers in the Joint Committee on Human Services could hold a hearing on legislation to expand state Medicaid and CHIP to all eligible people regardless of immigration status as soon as this Wednesday, Feb. 15.
• Last week the Arkansas House Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor advanced two bills related to abortion: One bill requires companies that cover expenses for abortion-related travel also offer a minimum of 12 weeks of parental leave, and the other repeals the license requirement for abortion clinics. The latter has already passed the Senate and will head to the House floor soon for a final vote. A legislator has also filed a proactive proposed constitutional amendment.
• In Montana, the Right to Privacy Prohibits Right to Abortion bill was transmitted to the House, and could be referred to a committee or scheduled for a hearing this week. On the proactive front, a bill to repeal a host of restrictions on abortion and codify the state Supreme Court decision that protects abortion access will be heard in committee tomorrow. 
• Last week, California lawmakers introduced AB576, which seeks to ensure that Medi-Cal coverage for abortion medication aligns with the most up-to-date clinical guidelines. This bill also ensures timely access and coverage for contraceptive and abortion services.
• Last week, Nevada Senate Majority Leader, Nicole Cannizzaro introduced legislation to codify an Executive Order issued by former Gov. Sisolak in June of 2022 which seeks to protect access to abortion in the state. 
• The Health Care Freedom Act passed out of committee last week in New Mexico and now awaiting scheduling in the House. This bill would prohibit public bodies, including local municipalities, from denying, restricting, or discriminating against an individual’s right to use or refuse reproductive or gender-affirming care.
• The Protect Access to Contraceptives Act (PAC Act) was introduced in Minnesota and will be heard in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee this week. Another bill that would ban conversion therapy in the state is also expected to receive a committee hearing.
• The Alaska Senate is expected to hear committee testimony this week on a bill that would ensure 12 months of Medicaid coverage for mothers postpartum. 
• In Colorado, several anti-abortion bills were introduced last week, including an abortion ban, a bill that would require providers to share medically inaccurate information on medication abortion “reversal”, and legislation that would force providers to administer medically unnecessary care and peddle misinformation on “fetal pain.”