Democrats seek to pin midterm hopes on Roe v Wade leak anger
Democratic Party leaders are hoping to galvanise supporters before the US midterm elections after a leaked document suggested the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v Wade – a 1973 legal decision that grants the right to an abortion.
The Democrats appear on the cusp of losing control of Congress to the Republicans, with the November election set to be dominated by immigration, inflation and the pandemic. But the party could now make women’s rights its focus.
A Gallup survey conducted between December 2021 and February 2022 showed that fewer than 0.5 per cent of US respondents considered abortion to be “the most important problem” facing the country. That percentage fell to zero in March.
US President Joe Biden said “it will fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials this November” if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said: “The elections … will have consequences, because the rights of 100 million women are now on the ballot.”
Vowing to hold a vote to codify women’s rights, he urged Americans to “make their voices heard” to “help fight this court’s awful decision”.
Overturning Roe v Wade would be a significant victory for Republicans, who have fought for its repeal for decades.
“They have been out there plotting, carefully cultivating these Supreme Court justices so they could have a majority on the bench who would accomplish something that the majority of Americans do not want,” Elizabeth Warren, a senator from Massachusetts, told The National outside the Supreme Court in Washington.
Vice President Kamala Harris accused Republicans of “weaponising” the issue, speaking at an event hosted by Emily’s List, a group that advocates the election of pro-choice Democrats.
“How dare they tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her own body,” she said.
The Supreme Court confirmed the draft’s authenticity.