On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned “Roe v. Wade,” a piece of legislation that made it a federal right to have access to abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. This means that having access to abortion was not guaranteed anymore and it was up to the states to do what they saw was best. The overturning of the legislation sparked a 50-year-old debate over abortion rights. Because of trigger laws put in place, the overturning automatically made abortion banned in several states like Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. Officials in different states are holding sessions on whether or not to keep abortion legal. Now, senator Lindsey Graham has introduced a nationwide abortion ban that would ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy except in cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother.

Americans’ opinions on abortion vary. Even before “Roe v. Wade” got overturned there had been debates about making abortion legal even after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Many people who had been fighting to make abortion illegal celebrated the overturning of the legislation. On the other hand, there were many people, mostly women who were furious over the rule and took to the streets to protest. According to Pew Research Center, 61 percent of American adults believe abortion should be legal while 37 percent of people think it should be illegal. Despite the majority of Americans being for abortion, Lindsey Graham says that he’s confident that Americans will support the abortion ban.

Pew Research Center polls show that Republicans are more likely to support an abortion ban with 72 percent in favour of a ban, and 90 percent of Democrats being opposed to an abortion ban. In Congress, the Democratic party’s control over congress is secure but in the senate, they only have a slim majority. In the Senate, the Democratic party has control but that could change during the November elections. With a majority of Republicans, the abortion ban can get passed in the Senate but 15 Republican senators have already said they oppose the ban including the party leader Mitch McConnell. With opposition within the Republican party itself, it seems unlikely that the ban would pass but with Roe v Wade overturned, abortion access is still up for debate. For elections in November, this is going to be the number one issue for many voters.