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One year later: How the Dobbs v. Jackson decision has impacted the DMV
Saturday marked one year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating a federal right to an abortion and making it a state decision.
WASHINGTON - Saturday marked one year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating a federal right to an abortion and making it a state decision.
"The way that things are going on right now, I’m afraid to have a child of my own. So I’m fighting for that choice, that opportunity to raise a family, become pregnant, have a healthy pregnancy and have my child, and have a healthy child in the future. I’m fighting for my future," one woman told FOX 5 DC.
There were demonstrations across the DMV from a women’s march in support of abortion access to a pro-life rally at the Lincoln Memorial.
"Today, all are recognized as created equal except for pre-born Americans. This unjust discrimination must end," said Michael Kenney with the Pro-Life Partners Foundation. "It is right to defend the vulnerable, it is right to stand for the least among us. It is right to protect human beings at every stage."
Gallup’s polling on this indicates a majority of Americans support abortion access in some capacity.
A record-high 69% say abortion should generally be legal in the first three months of pregnancy, 37% say it should be legal in the second three months of pregnancy and 22% in the last three months of pregnancy.
The issue has become even more polarizing than it already was and its impact on politics is noticeable.
Another Gallup poll shows when it comes to the 2024 presidential election, a record 28% of Americans say candidates must share their abortion views.
In the year since the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, states have limited or eliminated access to abortions while others have increased access.
Demonstrators take part in the annual National Women's March in Washington, DC, on January 22, 2023, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1973 US Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. - The US Supreme Court on June 24, 2022 struck down the Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion, ending five decades of constitutional protections. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images) People protest in response to the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Court's decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health overturns the landmark 50-year-old Roe v Wade case and erases a federal right to an abortion. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Demonstrators take part in the annual National Women's March in Washington, DC, on January 22, 2023, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1973 US Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. - The US Supreme Court on June 24, 2022 struck down the Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion, ending five decades of constitutional protections. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 27: An anti-abortion activist protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 27, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health overturned the landmark 50-year-old Roe v Wade case and erased a federal right to an abortion. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 23: Abortion-rights activists chant during a rally in front of the Supreme Court on June 23, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 25: Abortion rights and anti abortion rightactivists fill the street in front of the U.S. Supreme Court during a protest in the wake of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade outside on June 25, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health overturned the landmark 50-year-old Roe v Wade case and erased a federal right to an abortion. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Abortion rights and anti-abortion rights activists fill the street in front of the Supreme Court during a protest in the wake of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade outside on June 25, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 24: Thousands of abortion-rights activists gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court after the Court announced a ruling in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization case on June 24, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Court's decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health overturns the landmark 50-year-old Roe v Wade case and erases a federal right to an abortion. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Abortion rights activists Carrie McDonald (L) and Soraya Bata react to the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling which overturns the landmark abortion Roe v. Wade case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) A crowd of abortion rights protesters gather in dissent of the Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health case at The Gene Snyder U.S. Courthouse on June 24, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Credit: Jon Cherry/Getty Images) Demonstrators take part in the annual National Women's March in New York on January 22, 2023, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1973 US Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision.(Photo by ANDREA RENAULT/AFP via Getty Images) Demonstrators take part in the annual National Women's March in Washington, DC, on January 22, 2023, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1973 US Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. - The US Supreme Court on June 24, 2022 struck down the Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion, ending five decades of constitutional protections. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images) Demonstrators take part in the annual National Women's March in Washington, DC, on January 22, 2023, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1973 US Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. - The US Supreme Court on June 24, 2022 struck down the Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion, ending five decades of constitutional protections. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images) Here’s a rundown of what’s happened in the DMV over the past year.
Maryland quickly passed the abortion care access act, which, in part made it easier for women who wanted to travel from out of state to receive care. Newly-elected Governor Wes Moore led a charge to stockpile the abortion drug mifepristone, which has been subject to litigation.
D.C. has laws on the books protecting abortion and the District also added safety nets for those coming from out of state who want care.
Then there’s Virginia, which is in the midst of a midterm election cycle where all 140 seats in the state legislature are up for grabs.
"Without a doubt. Abortion is going to be the top issue," said Michael Pope with Virginia Public Radio.
Virginia didn’t do much this past year. With a Republican majority in the House, a Democratic majority in the Senate and a Republican governor, the legislature has been at a stalemate. The election could vastly change the complexion of the General Assembly.
"There’s a huge turnover because we’ve got 11 incumbent senators who are retiring and then add on top of that, we’ve got five incumbent senators who have lost a primary, so that’s 16 departing members of a chamber that only has 40 members," Pope said.
Whether abortion laws are a winning or losing policy, for both sides in Virginia, this fall will be very closely watched on a national level as we gear up for a 2024 election, Pope says.