CHICAGO —
Democrats gathering in Chicago were greeted with a giant inflatable intrauterine device, trucks offering free vasectomies, condoms condemning Project 2025 and several speakers focused on using the issue of abortion to persuade Americans to vote blue.
Messaging about abortion is playing a key role in much of the programming at the Democratic National Convention this week, and it particularly resonates with young people, women of color and women in general — including Republicans, said Jodi Hicks, chief executive officer and president of Planned Parenthood California.
“It’s absolutely top of mind for folks. It’s a motivating issue, more importantly,” Hicks said. “That ability to be able to be the full person that you want to be, have rights to have a family how you want — that’s not partisan.”
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, abortion has become one of Democrats’ top motivating issues. It is widely credited with helping many Democrats win in the 2022 midterm elections.
Although Republican Party leaders may have cheered the end of Roe, they have split over their next steps on the issue. Some conservatives have pushed for a nationwide abortion ban, while others — including former President Trump — have acknowledged the political challenges that come with such a strong stance. Trump has advocated leaving the issues to the states, although he also previously expressed support for a national ban after certain points in a woman’s pregnancy.
Last month, the party scrapped language from previous platforms opposing abortion. Though the platform says, “We proudly stand for families and Life,” it also called for the matter to be decided by the states. This policy shift has been criticized by many conservatives.
On the Democratic side, strategists and party leaders are hoping that reproductive rights will again turn voters out in November, especially with a woman leading the ticket. Even before she became the nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris commanded the campaign’s abortion message in a way that President Biden couldn’t. Harris hammered home the message, particularly in battleground states such as Arizona, where a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion access is on the state’s ballot.
“This issue is larger than what we can put on a single ballot measure,” said Arizona state Sen. Eva Burch, who serves as a delegate. “We have to have pro-choice candidates in positions of power, in order to protect these fundamental rights.”
In March, a video of Burch giving an emotional speech in the Arizona Legislature about her need to terminate an unviable pregnancy went viral. Weeks later, Arizona underwent a tumultuous battle over an 1864 abortion ban that was ultimately repealed.
Democratic pollster Celinda Lake described a “sea change” in polling of attitudes about abortion since Roe was overturned.
“Every state in the country is about 10 points more pro-abortion than it was,” Lake said, adding that more than 6 in 10 Americans support abortion rights and about three-quarters oppose a national abortion ban. “Abortion has arrived as an issue. It makes a difference. It motivates voters,” she said.
The issue also been highlighted in the convention programming. The inflatable IUD, dubbed “Freeda Womb,” greeted visitors near the United Center.
The Voters for Tomorrow organization handed out free condoms emblazoned with the phrase “F— Project 2025,” a reference to policy proposals prepared by the Heritage Foundation. And a Planned Parenthood mobile clinic offering “free vasectomies, medication abortion, and emergency contraception” was stationed near the DNC festivities.
Laws passed in conservative states have restricted access to abortion, sometimes by making it allowable only if the woman’s life is at risk. Some states refuse to make exceptions for rape or incest. Such provisions are being targeted by Democrats.
Monday night’s DNC programming spotlighted the issue in a campaign ad featuring Josh and Amanda Zurawski. The Texas couple had been awaiting a baby girl but lost her due to pregnancy complications. Amanda nearly lost her life awaiting healthcare — which she said was delayed because of the state’s abortion ban.
“Instead of welcoming Willow, I was hoping Amanda’s life could be saved,” Josh Zurawski said on the DNC stage. “I’m here tonight because the fight for reproductive rights isn’t just a woman’s fight. This is about fighting for our families — and as Kamala Harris says — our future.”
The evening also featured two other women — Kaitlyn Joshua and Hadley Duvall — who described their experiences with terminating pregnancies. Joshua, a Louisiana mother, said that two emergency rooms turned her away while she was experiencing a miscarriage, and that she feared for her own life.
Duvall, a self-described “all-American girl,” said she needed an abortion at age 12, after surviving a rape by her stepfather.
“I can’t imagine not having a choice,” Duvall said. “But today, that’s the reality for many women and girls across the country because of Donald Trump’s abortion bans.”
The convention hall grew quiet as Duvall, Joshua and the Zurawskis spoke. Many delegates appeared to be holding back tears.
At a Feminist Majority meeting Monday, women gathered in a ballroom of a historic Chicago hotel to talk about the upcoming election and the prospects for passage of an Equal Rights Amendment over crust-less tea sandwiches and pastries. Attendees were offered a free one-year subscription to Ms. Magazine, whose fall issue is titled “Vote As If Your Life Depends On It.”
Lisa Ann Walter, an actor who stars in “Abbott Elementary,” introduced herself as “a postmenopausal woman,” to applause.
“Thank you. Me and my nonhormones thank you,” she responded. “And as such, I have a few thoughts about the upcoming election. I’m thrilled to be here away from my postmenopausal life. Sadly, it’s not being a grandmother slash babysitter, or, as I like to call it, a grand nanny for a few reasons. One, I am busy repping teachers and making people laugh on the No. 1 network. And two, my four kids are too selfish to give me babies so I can fulfill my postmenopausal social duties, as prescribed by JD Vance.”
Walter, 61, said she had a miscarriage between the birth of each of her four children.
“People don’t understand that women go through it a lot. In fact, in the old days before there was help, you could die, you could hemorrhage and die. It happened often,” she said.
The final miscarriage occurred when she was on location for an acting job. She thought she had entered menopause but learned she was about eight weeks pregnant.
“I was scared,” she said. “I was pregnant and losing the child, and it was dangerous. I needed a D & C [abortion]. And had I been in a state today where you could be charged with second-degree manslaughter if they decided that you were having an abortion, or if they just let me sit in the parking lot until I bled out, I could have very well died.”
She urged the group to talk to young people about the stakes in this election for reproductive rights. According to recent polling from Emily’s List, an organization promoting women in politics, hearing Harris’ message on abortion made 77% of persuadable young women more likely to vote for her.
“Tell them, I recognize that you might have an issue that you’re concerned about. But just remember, if you don’t vote this ticket, not only might [you not] ever get a choice again to protect your own interests, but you will actually put yourself in physical danger,” Walter said.
