Large majorities of Republican primary voters want the Trump administration to crack down on the distribution of the abortion pill by mail and say they would be less enthusiastic to vote in the midterm elections if GOP leaders shy away from pro-life policies, according to new polling.
Over 70% of GOP primary voters oppose a Biden-era policy that allowed the abortion pill mifepristone to be shipped through the mail without any in-person doctor visit, according to polling conducted by Cygnal. That included 77% of self-identified Trump voters and 76% of voters who said they supported the Make America Healthy Again movement. The polling surveyed 1,000 GOP primary voters across the country from February 8-10.
The polling comes after lawmakers like Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and pro-life groups have called for the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration to end the Biden-era provision that has allowed abortion drugs to flood into red states where medication abortions are technically illegal.
Mifepristone cuts off the nutrients that an unborn child needs to survive in the womb. Another drug is then taken to expel the deceased baby from the mother.
Pro-life advocates say that failure to act could cause a lack of enthusiasm from pro-life voters, who constitute a significant portion of the GOP base.
“The failure to rein in abortion drugs risks base enthusiasm this November,” said Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser during a Thursday press call attended by The Daily Wire, discussing the polling. “You cannot win without your base. You can’t bring together that handful of votes in battlegrounds that are required. The abortion drug problem is an electoral problem in addition to a moral problem in our nation, and it’s caused by the lack of leadership at HHS.”
Nearly a third (32%) of GOP primary voters said they would have decreased enthusiasm to vote in the midterm elections if Republican leaders weakened their stance on the issue of life. Another 34% said they would be less likely to volunteer and help out with campaigns.
Cygnal pollster John Rogers said that a drop in enthusiasm could have a “dramatic effect across the board” in key midterm elections.
When asked about the polling, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales highlighted pro-life policies enacted by President Donald Trump.
“President Trump is the most pro-life and pro-family President in history. Thanks to the President’s appointments to the United States Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade was correctly overturned – a triumphant victory for life,” she told The Daily Wire. “The President has also enforced the Hyde Amendment and reinstated the Mexico City Policy to end taxpayer-funded abortion at home and abroad, expanded child tax credits, created Trump Accounts, and established a rigorous, Gold Standard Science safety review of mifepristone by the FDA.”
Wales added that the Trump administration would continue to pursue pro-life policies.
“President Trump and his entire administration will continue to boldly advance policies that protect the most vulnerable among us and promote the growth and success of America’s families,” she said.
Both FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that they are conducting a study on the abortion pill, but lawmakers and advocates have grown impatient. In September, the FDA shocked pro-life advocates by approving another generic brand of mifepristone.
The Cygnal polling found that 80% of primary voters wanted the FDA to require in-person doctor visits to get the abortion pill, and another 72% oppose approving generic forms of mifepristone before the completion of a safety study. Sixty-five percent disapproved of HHS’s handling of the abortion issue.
Despite the overturning of Roe, abortions across the country have increased, fueled in large part by mail-order abortions. Data shows that there have been tens of thousands of abortions in states like Texas and Louisiana, where medication abortions are banned.
“Pro-life protections passed at the state level are being completely undermined, stealing sovereignty away from pro-life states who have passed strong pro-life protections,” Dannenfelser said Thursday.
Last week, Hawley told The Daily Wire after a phone call with Makary that he thought it was time for Congress to take action.
“I think Congress needs to be involved. Congress shouldn’t be a spectator and just outsource this to other people,” he said. “I think it’s time for Congress to get involved.”
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