Every election cycle over the past decade has impacted access to reproductive healthcare in our state, often through the election of anti-abortion and anti-democracy candidates to congressional and state legislative seats. But we’ve also seen the election of pro-choice champions at state and federal levels, who go on to block bad policies, speak out strongly for reproductive freedom, and introduce proactive, people-centered policies. No matter what we may hear in the media, reproductive freedom, including access to abortion, is always on the ballot. At Pro-Choice North Carolina, we encourage all voters to assess where candidates stand on access to reproductive freedom and healthcare in addition to their stances on issues like immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, access to healthcare, and economic justice.
While many politicians may not want to speak about abortion and reproductive healthcare while they are on the campaign trail, and the media often follows that lead, all aspects of reproductive freedom and justice are up and down the ballot, including this year. From abortion access to the affordability of contraception, from the availability of maternal health care to comprehensive sex education, policy decisions made at the federal, state, and local levels impact our ability to access the healthcare, information, and resources we need.
While many of us are aware of how the actions of federal politicians and state legislators influence access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare, we can also see the impacts on people’s ability to access this care, resources, and information from elected offices up and down the ballot:
State judges rule on the constitutionality of laws restricting or expanding access to abortion, contraception, and gender-affirming care. These judges also preside over family courts, ruling on divorce and child-custody cases, as well as cases that assess whether discrimination occurred or rights have been violated.
School boards can debate what kind of sex education programs are available at schools, as well as policies that can harm or help LGBTQ+ kids, children of immigrants, and children living in poverty.
Local District Attorneys have a lot of discretion in how state and local laws are enforced and applied to individual cases, including cases centered on pregnancy outcomes such as abortion and stillbirth.
City councils can protect or impede people’s rights to access an abortion clinic in their community, or even pass a reproductive freedom resolution that combats abortion stigma and affirms people’s rights to bodily autonomy.
All of the above elected offices and more are on our ballots this fall, so start your candidate research now! You can find more information about the different ways these offices impact reproductive freedom on our website. You can check your registration and find your sample ballot on the NC State Board of Elections website. Armed with that information, make your plan to go vote.
See you at the polls!
