A recent poll by NARAL suggests that reproductive rights are a key issue for women voters this election season. The issue has emerged both in the large number of ballot initiatives addressing reproductive rights, and as a powerful factor in how women will vote in November.
According to the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights, this year four states will have ballot initiatives restricting abortion. In the 2006 election, two states had ballot initiatives requiring parental notification before a minor has an abortion and one state had an initiative banning abortion entirely. All three initiatives failed by at least 10 points.
A poll conducted by NARAL of likely women voters in 13 “battleground states” found that reproductive rights are an important factor in determining which presidential candidate they support. According to U.S. News Republican and Independent women are more likely to support Senator Obama after learning both candidates’ position on reproductive rights. Senator Obama gained 13 points among Independent women and 9 points among Republican women after respondents were informed of the candidates’ positions.
