Where do Latinos lean on the abortion issue?
There are many assumptions on how Latinos feel about abortion, said Silvia Henriquez, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. Ella’s polls by her group reveal more tolerance toward it.
“It’s very much ‘Maybe I wouldn’t make that decision myself, but it’s not my place to interfere in someone else’s decision’,” said Henriquez.
Latinos are religious — but that doesn’t mean they’re anti-abortion
In an August Mi Familia Vota/UnidosUS poll of Latino eligible voters, respondents were asked whether they agreed with the statement, “No matter what my personal beliefs about abortion are, I think it is wrong to make abortion illegal and take that choice away from everyone else.”
Among Catholics, 76 percent agreed, and 58 percent strongly. And even among Republicans, 55 percent agreed and a third strongly.
For the first time ever, Latinos also ranked abortion as one of the top five issues facing the country — behind inflation and the rising cost of living, crime and gun violence, jobs and the economy, and health care.
There is no doubt that Proposition 1 will be approved in the elections this November. What is at stake are other things: the districts that the Republicans dominate in the state and the message that they want to send to support other candidates to do the same in the rest of the country.
Analysts have warned that some Republicans could lose their position in Congress due to their inclination to ban abortion, and the Democrats, given the economic problems the country is experiencing, want to take advantage of this issue to win some votes.
California Republicans face an unusually powerful headwind in moving beyond the abortion issue. Almost all Republicans holding or seeking congressional seats have staked out hard-line anti-abortion positions that directly collide with polls showing deep and broad support for abortion rights across the state.
“Because we have this on the ballot, Republicans cannot run away from this issue,” says Dave Jacobson, a Democratic consultant who is advising Christy Smith, the party’s nominee against Republican Representative Mike Garcia in another Los Angeles–area district. “Every Republican in a competitive district is vulnerable with this issue at the top of the ballot as a constitutional amendment. I think it is going to drive turnout.”
No on Prop 1 campaign spokesperson Catherine Hadro said the infusion of cash from the left shows “that the yes side feels vulnerable.”
Opponents argue the proposition, if approved, would legalize abortions later in pregnancy. Current law limits abortions after viability — or when a fetus becomes viable outside the womb — which is typically around 23 weeks.
“We know we can absolutely win as voters continue to see that Proposition 1 overturns state law and allows late-term abortion up until the moment of birth,” Hadro said.
California will provide a crucial measure of how broadly the abortion issue may benefit Democrats this year. On both sides, there’s agreement that abortion’s increased prominence will strengthen Democrats in districts with a large number of white-collar voters—including the coastal seats south of Los Angeles now held by Democratic Representatives Katie Porter and Mike Levin.
Write a Reply or Comment
You should Sign In or Sign Up account to post comment.