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According to a survey, most women in the USA fear that an abortion ban could put themselves or a loved one in danger
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According to a survey, most women in the USA fear that an abortion ban could put themselves or a loved one in danger



CNN

Abortion bans enacted since the overturning of Roe v. Wade have sparked fear among women of childbearing age in the United States. Concerns are widespread across the political spectrum, according to a new KFF poll.

About one in seven women ages 18 to 49 reported having an abortion, the KFF poll found. And that experience was similarly common among women across the political spectrum; about 14 percent of Democratic women and 12 percent of Republican women reported having had an abortion.

But about two-thirds of women of childbearing age fear that abortion bans could affect the safety of a possible future pregnancy for themselves or a loved one, or threaten their livelihood if an abortion becomes necessary. Women who identify as Democrats were most likely to express these fears, but a significant share of women who identify as Republicans also shared these concerns.

About eight in 10 Democratic women of childbearing age and more than four in 10 Republican women of childbearing age said they were concerned that they or someone close to them would not be able to have an abortion if it were necessary to protect their own life or health, according to the KFF poll.

KFF surveyed a nationally representative sample of about 4,000 women of childbearing age from mid-May to mid-June, about two years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal abortion rights in the Dobbs decision. At the time of the survey, abortion was banned in 14 states and another six had defined gestational ages between 6 and 15 weeks.

Already, nearly one in 10 women of childbearing age personally know someone who had difficulty getting an abortion during that time, and more than two-thirds of them say they had to travel to another state for abortion care, KFF found.

More than a third of women of childbearing age say it is difficult to get abortion services in their state, and less than half are aware of the current state of abortion policy in their state. More than a quarter say they do not know where to go if they need an abortion or where to find more information, according to new poll data.

In November, abortion will be on the ballot in at least eight states, and referendums will regulate access across the country.

After the Dobbs ruling, Florida became a major access point for women in the South, but a six-week ban went into effect there in April. In the upcoming election, voters will have the opportunity to decide whether the state should lift the ban and enshrine a constitutional right to abortion. Arizona, a key swing state, will also vote on whether to enshrine abortion as a “fundamental right” in the state constitution.

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More than seven in 10 women in both states believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to KFF poll data.

The issue is also controversial among the presidential candidates: Vice President Kamala Harris advocated abortion rights and supported the restoration of federal protections, whereas former President Donald Trump argued that abortion rights should be left to the states.

Most women of childbearing age in the U.S. — including more than 4 in 10 Republicans — support a nationwide right to abortion and oppose leaving abortion legality up to the states, new poll data shows. About three-quarters of women of childbearing age say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, including nearly all Democrats and nearly half of Republicans.

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