Â鶹ŮÓÅ

A Republican proposal to block a Biden administration policy that shores up troops’ access to abortion was added to the House Pentagon policy bill Thursday, a move that will jeopardize bipartisan support and complicate efforts to pass the legislation. Speaker Mike Johnson allowed a vote on the anti-abortion measure and a laundry list of other conservative amendments to ensure Republican support for the National Defense Authorization Act. But the tactic also means losing Democrats who had previously supported the bill, and there’s no guarantee Republicans can pass the bill. (O'Brien, 6/13)

A near-total abortion ban was defeated in South Carolina with the help of the only three Republican women in the Senate, but after Tuesday’s primary, they’re losing their election bids. Voters handed the senators – and winners of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award for people who risk their careers for the greater good – two losses and a runoff after they joined with Democratic women to defeat the measure, saying a pregnant woman shouldn’t lose control of her body as soon as an egg is fertilized. (Collins, 6/12)

Abortion-rights advocates are in the midst of a campaign to enshrine abortion protections in a state constitutional amendment this fall. Parental rights advocates also are gearing up in opposition — door-knocking and sharing literature with voters, preparing for TV and radio advertisements and fundraising. They say the proposed amendment establishing a right to reproductive freedom isn’t what it seems, making the claim, disputed by abortion-rights advocates, that the amendment would open the door for children to receive gender-affirming care without their parent’s consent. (Conrad, 6/14)

A record-high 32% of U.S. voters say they would only vote for a candidate for major office who shares their views on abortion. The importance of a candidate’s abortion stance to one’s vote is markedly higher among pro-choice voters than it was during the 2020 presidential election cycle, while pro-life voters’ intensity about voting on the abortion issue has waned. Also, voters’ greater intensity on the issue today compared with 2020 is explained mainly by Democrats, while Republicans and independents have shown little change. (Brenan and Saad, 6/13)

With the November general election a few months away, residents in Colorado, Maryland, South Dakota and Florida will be able to vote on ballot initiatives related to abortion. (Chernikoff and Hoff, 6/14)