Analysis: Did Democrats place a losing bet on abortion?
Democrats are divided in how they view abortion, and their answers are often conflicting and inconsistent. They may differ strongly in their positions on the timing of a woman’s decision to have an abortion, whether it should be legal, and whether women should have to pay for it themselves. For example, as Sen. Chuck Schumer indicated at the National Press Club Thursday, he supports allowing states to set up their own laws on abortion, but he believes that it should be legal for women to do so, and that they should be able to pay for it themselves.
For Democrats, the debate over abortion is often a two-part debate. On the one hand, Democrats tend to be pro-choice, believing that it should be legal in all circumstances. On the other hand, the party often argues that only if women and babies are in danger would doctors have a moral obligation to perform an abortion. On this issue, Democrats are not necessarily more liberal than Republicans. A July Gallup poll shows that 52 percent of Democrats are pro-choice, as compared with 40 percent of Republicans. The difference between them is about the same on the question of whether women should have the right to decide for themselves, as Gallup also shows that 56 percent of Democrats in a June poll supported a woman’s right to choose.
“I can’t speak for all women but for me the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, I was in favor of abortion. When it got harder to carry it a week, I was in favor of it,” said Democratic National Committee member Maya Harris.
Harris has lived with the disease for the last 20 years and has had two abortions; she thinks a woman should be able to decide when the time is right. The same is for Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who says women should be able to decide whether they are ready for parenthood. Harris believes that women who are in the first trimester and can’t carry their pregnancies to birth should be able to abort them.
“I don’t think every woman should be able to exercise a choice at this early stage. But in the first trimester, what we really want to do is make sure that women have access to abortion. There should be no other choice,” said Harris.
It is clear that the pro-choice Democrats on the Senate Health Committee