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Abortion is front and center at the Democratic National Convention

Democrats in Chicago are focusing on abortion this week, seeking to draw a stark contrast to the party of Donald Trump.
Abortion rights supporters gather outside the Capitol.
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Democrats in Chicago are bringing the issue of abortion front and center this week, seeking to draw a stark contrast to the party of Donald Trump.

It's an issue that has galvanized the party, particularly since Roe was overturned more than two years ago. Before that, it was a topic Democrats certainly cared about, but it wasn't talked about nearly as much — especially at a national convention.

"There was a time where you would hear, 'safe, legal and rare,'" said Nourbese Flint, president of the All In Action Fund. "You see the evolution in the conversation that is just from something that was in the outskirts of the thing that we don't really want to talk about, that we know happens, to a part of the health care."

Flint says there has been a particular push within the party to destigmatize abortion and to link it to other economic challenges women face, from child care to fair pay. And that conversation has spanned generations.

"The Dobbs decision reignited them into wanting to be more out-front about abortion access, because they have fought for it before and did not believe that they had to fight for it again," she explained.

Planned Parenthood is capitalizing on destigmatizing efforts, offering abortion pills and vasectomies in a mobile health clinic near the convention center.

RELATED STORY | Abortion numbers increased since Roe was overturned, study says

All of this comes as the data shows women are still having abortions and are concerned about laws and access — no matter their party.

According to a KFF study looking at women's experiences since the Dobbs decision, similar proportions of Republican, Democratic and independent women have had abortions.

"What we found is that abortion is a service that women need and want, regardless of party ID," said policy analyst Ivette Gomez.

Gomez says they found the majority of women are unaware of the legal status of abortion in their state.

"A lot of bans have gone in and out," she said. "It can make it hard for people to keep track, but honestly, even in states where abortion is generally available, we found that the majority of women are not really sure what the legal status of abortion is."

The survey looked more deeply at women in Florida and Arizona, states at the time considering ballot measures.

"Both in Arizona and Florida, like again, similar to the national numbers, most women think abortion should be legal. Most women support a law establishing a nationwide right to abortion, and most women oppose leaving the legality of abortion up to the states," Gomez added.

Both of those states will see the abortion on the ballot this fall.

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