The politics of Dobbs persists

Politico

a day ago

Greetings from Illinois, where we relish the summer heat. Thanks to Katherine Long and Emma Cordover for letting me jump in to today's Women Rule discussion. You can find me at [e-mail].
Programming note: This newsletter is on hiatus until July 11 for the federal holiday in the U.S.
CHICAGO, Illinois — The political action committee that for decades supported candidates who back abortion rights in Illinois — making the state a haven for reproductive choice — is taking its political playbook to red states, including Indiana and Arkansas, which virtually ban the procedure.
'Since Roe fell, there are many PACs bubbling up in different states. I've been talking to new organizations, sharing our playbook, our questionnaires and ideas about where to start,' Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick tells Women Rule.
It's been three years since the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, giving states more authority to restrict abortion. The decision has emboldened states that are working to ban abortions, and it's also transformed blue states like Illinois, which are seeing abortions rise as more patients are crossing their borders seeking reproductive health care.
Data from the Illinois Department of Public Health shows there were 11,307 out-of-state abortions in Illinois in 2021, the year before Dobbs. In 2022, there were 16,849 abortions for people from out of state, and 2023 saw 26,168 out-of-state abortions.
The Dobbs ruling created a ripple effect that's going to further divide states and create islands of reproductive care across the country, Garza Resnick says.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Along with seeing more patients, how else are blue states feeling the impact of Dobbs three years later?
It's affecting the medical profession. There are places where doctors can't practice. They're gagged from talking to clients about abortions, which are a medical necessity. There are gynecologists leaving some states, so people with dire health care decisions won't have access to gynecological care, including abortion. It impacts everyone. There won't be enough doctors in years to come to get normal pap smears or mammograms and all the other things we need.
Georgia is seeing doctors leaving the state, and in Missouri, gynecological residency programs are being affected.
In Illinois in 2024, we saw 35,000 people become medical refugees and were forced to flee the states where they live with their families to come here to get abortion care. Illinois saw the largest amount of out-of-state patients, the next state is North Carolina, with almost 17,000 out-of-state patients traveling there for care.
Why is Illinois seeing an influx over New York or California?
It can be hard to travel to California or New York. It's more expensive. People go to places where they can drive.
Has the Dobbs decision emboldened members of Congress?
Federal Medicaid doesn't cover abortion care. But from city halls to Congress, anti-abortion politicians have been throwing every type of abortion restriction at the wall to see what sticks. Policies that we once considered 'extreme' are making their way through legislatures across the country.
How has Dobbs shifted the political landscape?
Unfortunately, abortion has always been a political issue because politicians think that they know what is best for women and our bodies and want to control us. Fortunately, abortion has always been popular. I think more campaigns need to stop siloing abortion off as a separate issue. For example, abortion is an economic issue because having a kid when you're not ready can upend your job, education and ability to make ends meet.
What are you advising other states trying to mirror what your PAC is doing?
We are working with advocates in other states to replicate Personal PAC's winning model of sending candidate questionnaires and educating people running for office. We are 100 percent pro-reproductive freedom, with no exceptions.
Is there room for the candidate who opposes abortion rights personally but supports a woman's right to get one?
You don't know what you're going to do until you're in that circumstance. Myself, as somebody who's had an abortion, I didn't anticipate an unplanned pregnancy. I would never judge somebody whatsoever about making the other choice. So yeah, I do think that somebody can say, 'I personally wouldn't have an abortion, but I don't think that the government should be involved in someone's pregnancy decisions.' I would stand behind that person.
The Supreme Court just upheld Tennessee's ban on gender affirming care for transgender minors. Is that a residual effect of Dobbs?
The idea that the government can tell me and my child and their doctor what is best for them is exactly what the anti-choice movement has done to women and our health care. All of these cases are linked. What links access to birth control for married people and the ability for women to decide what to do with their bodies and gay marriage is case law that had been decided over the course of many decades by the U.S. Supreme Court. It's all an issue of control.
Have you seen an increase in aggression against abortion clinics or against candidates?
We've definitely seen an escalation: bomb threats, arsons, blockades, stalking of clinics and staff have all increased sharply. And, of course, the tragic murders [in] Minnesota.
Recently, abortion and IVF clinics have been hit by car‑bombings, firebombs, suspicious packages and surveillance that often crosses the line into doxxing and intimidation. We can't become numb to this political violence. It can never be seen as normal.
How do you see abortion rights playing in the 2026 midterms? There are ballot measures related to it in Missouri and Nevada.
Unfortunately, ballot measures are not a quick fix. You can see this playing out in states like Ohio, where the majority of Ohioans came out to enshrine the right to abortion in their state constitution, and yet there's still limited access to abortion there. Now, the legislature is trying to undo the will of the voters by introducing an abortion ban bill.
It's deeply frustrating. What we've advised in Indiana and other states trying to do this work is that at a very local grassroots level, this takes time. We need patience. The anti-choice movement has been incredibly deliberate for decades in controlling the messaging about how we think about our own bodies.'
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on the move
Rachel Thomas is now senior director of corporate communications at Flagship Pioneering. She most recently was director of strategic communications for implementation in the Biden White House. (h/t POLITICO Playbook)
Kate Kamber Brennan is joining Rational 360 as SVP of digital. She previously led stakeholder targeting programs for Edelman's global business marketing team. (h/t POLITICO Playbook)
Na'ilah Amaru is now senior director of mobilization and engagement at the League of Women Voters. She was previously pursuing a Ph.D. in political science at the CUNY Graduate Center. (h/t POLITICO Influence)