Most U.S. women concerned about abortion access as presidential race heats up

Abortion is expected to be a central issue in the first presidential election since the Dobbs decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.

“The Democratic and Republican parties have starkly different visions of what access to abortion in the United States should look like,” according to a new report from KFF. “Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has been an outspoken advocate of abortion rights and has thrown her support behind efforts to restore Roe v. Wade’s abortion standards in all states. Former President Donald Trump endorses leaving abortion policy up to states, allowing full bans to stay in effect, although he has also previously said he would consider a 15- or 16-week national ban on abortion.”

In addition, residents of up to 11 states will vote on ballot initiatives that will shape access to abortion. More than 5,000 women recently shared their opinions about abortion in the 2024 KFF Women’s Health Survey. Among the key takeaways:

• Among women of reproductive age, one in seven has had an abortion at some point in her life. Larger shares of Black (21%) and Hispanic (19%) women report having had an abortion than white women (11%).
• Nearly 1 in 20 women personally knows someone who has had difficulty getting an abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Among this group, many say they had to travel out of state for care (68%), did not know where to go (40%) and/or did not have the money to cover the cost (35%).
• More than 6 in 10 women of reproductive age are concerned that they or someone close to them would not be able to get an abortion if it were needed to preserve their life or health (63%) and that abortion bans may affect the safety of a potential future pregnancy for themselves or someone close to them (64%).
• Less than half of women are aware of the current status of abortion policy in their state.
• One in four say if they needed or wanted an abortion, they would not know where to go nor where to find information.

Related: The case for abortion care as an employee benefit

• Nearly 1 in 5 women reports having changed her contraceptive practices as a result of Roe being overturned. Actions taken include starting birth control, getting a sterilization procedure, switching to a more effective method or purchasing emergency contraceptive pills to have on hand.
• Although two-thirds of women have heard about medication abortion pills, only 19% of women say people in their state can obtain them online.
• Three in four reproductive-age women in the United States believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases. The majority support a nationwide right to abortion (70%), oppose a nationwide abortion ban at 15 weeks (64%) and oppose leaving it up to states to determine the legality of abortion (74%).