A senior White House advisor said last year that abortion would be one of the issues that helps propel President Joe Biden to victory. By the end of 2023, multiple activist groups were working to have abortion be a ballot measure in nine states in addition to preparing messaging focused on the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Now, a former advisor to former President Donald Trump is urging Republicans to reshape how they discuss abortion on the campaign trail to prevent losses this fall. Kellyanne Conway says that the GOP should frame Democrat positions on abortion as extreme, while backing policies that can be seen as a compromise, such as a 15-week ban with exceptions for rape, incest, and threats to the life of the mother. “I will not say, and counsel clients again saying, ‘Democrats are for abortion up until the moment of birth,’” Conway said during a recent POLITICO summit. “You know why that’s not the best way to say it? Because nobody knows anybody who is about to give birth and says, ‘You know what? I really don’t like stretch marks. I’m not really ready to have another person in my life. I change my mind.’” She also stated that President Joe Biden’s decision to edit the word “abortion” from last week’s State of the Union address shows the issue is politically charged for Democrats as well. “Is it an ugly word? Do you not want to own it?” she asked. Though Democrats are working to have abortion ballot initiatives make it to ballots, Conway encourages Republicans to prevent such ballot measures heading into the 2024 election cycle. Legislative efforts in Missouri, Michigan, and Ohio have recently attempted to prevent voters from directly weighing in on the issue of abortion. Conway says that since the overturning of Roe v. Wade recent, it will take many years to convince people to adopt such restrictions, POLITICO reported. “If it took 50 years to overturn Roe v. Wade, it’s going to take more than 50 minutes, 50 hours or 50 weeks to explain to people what that means and more importantly, what it doesn’t mean, and to move hearts and minds,” she said.Abortion is poised to be a top issue in the 2024 election after the topic helped bring wins for Democrats in the recent election cycles.
