Planned Parenthood endorses nearly 200 House incumbents ahead of midterms

Planned Parenthood Action Fund rolled out its endorsements on Thursday for nearly 200 House incumbents running in next year’s midterm elections as the debate over abortion rights heats up across the county. 

The organization’s campaign arm threw its support behind 198 incumbents, including Reps. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), Cindy Axne (D-Iowa), Marie Newman (D-Ill.), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) and Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.). 

The endorsements come after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments earlier this month in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which involves a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The case poses one of the biggest threats to Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the U.S., in decades.

“2022 is poised to be the most consequential year for abortion access in a generation. Next year, the right to decide our own futures will be on the line — and up and down the ballot — like never before,” said Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Alexis McGill Johnson. “That’s why we must protect the seats of leaders in the House who have a consistent record of standing up for our right to basic health care and the freedom to chart our own paths.” 

Both sides of the abortion debate have begun to galvanize ahead of the decision on the Dobbs case, which is expected in June of 2022, just months before the midterms. Abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America has already begun rolling out its own slate of endorsements, while the Susan B. Anthony List, a prominent anti-abortion group, launched a $10 million ad campaign to push their message on the case and has canvassing operations on the ground in states like Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. 

Public opinion shows relatively strong support for upholding Roe v. Wade. A recent Washington Post-ABC News survey found that 60 percent of Americans say they believe the Supreme Court should uphold Roe v. Wade, while 27 percent say they think it should be overturned. 

However, an AP-NORC survey released in June found that 61 percent of Americans said abortion should be legal in most or all cases during the first trimester, and 65 percent said it should be illegal in the second trimester. Another 80 percent said it should be illegal in the third trimester.