WASHINGTON, DC – A new article by The 19^th highlights how Democratic attorneys general have played a key role in protecting abortion access and reproductive rights, and how the upcoming midterm elections will determine how these rights will – or won’t — continue to be defended.

Key Highlights: 

Arizona

• “Democrat Mayes is trying to fend off a challenge from Republican Warren Petersen, who leads the party in the state Senate. Petersen backed legislation that established a 15-week abortion ban and supported a pre-statehood law that functioned as a near-total abortion ban.”
• “Mayes also created the state’s first-ever Reproductive Rights Unit within the attorney general’s office and joined with other Democratic attorneys general to challenge restrictions on medication abortion.”

Georgia 

• “…Republican Brian Strickland…is trying to hold the office in a race against Democrat Tanya Miller…Strickland voted for Georgia’s 2019 six-week abortion ban…Miller, meanwhile, has said she opposes the six-week ban and that medical decisions should be made between women and their doctors.”

Iowa

• “[Brenna] Bird has defended Iowa’s six-week abortion ban before the state Supreme Court, opposed medication abortion and supported anti-abortion pregnancy centers.”

Kansas

• “[Kris] Kobach has made a name as one of the most aggressively anti-abortion attorneys general in the country despite the state passing a constitutional amendment to protect access in 2022. [Chris] Mann has criticized Kobach for focusing on undermining abortion access even after its voters weighed in, and said he would defend the 2022 amendment.”

Michigan

• “[Eli] Savit, a county prosecutor, refused to prosecute abortion providers under a state law from 1846 (updated in 1931) that banned abortion in the months after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — he also supported a 2022 ballot measure that added protections for reproductive rights to the state’s constitution.”
• “[Doug] Lloyd, also a county prosecutor, has campaigned alongside prominent anti-abortion activists in the state. He also previously said he was willing to prosecute abortion providers despite an injunction being in place for a defunct ban.”

Minnesota

• “As the state’s attorney general, [Keith] Ellison has taken repeated steps to defend abortion access, including refusing to appeal lower-court rulings striking down abortion restrictions and arguing that anti-abortion pregnancy centers lack the standing to challenge Minnesota laws protecting abortion access.”

Nevada

• “[Democrat Nicole] Cannizzaro supports the ballot measure and has sponsored legislation to protect abortion patients from out-of-state prosecution.”

Wisconsin

• “As the state’s attorney general, [Josh] Kaul successfully challenged a 1849 criminal abortion ban before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Toney, a county prosecutor, said in the 2022 race that he believed prosecutors should be able to cross county lines to bring abortion-related prosecutions…”

###