Upon returning from fall break, students traversing Greene Street were met with a display of posters with post-abortion images, pro-life sentiments and comparisons between abortion and historical examples of genocide. In the wake of the 2022 Dobbs Supreme Court decision, which returned the issue of abortion to the states, abortion has been pushed to the forefront as a key concern of the 2024 election, and this protest is a clear example of that.
The display at USC was set up by the Genocide Awareness Project from the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform and hosted by the USC chapter of College Republicans. This project brings similar displays to campuses across the country to put abortion and genocide side-by-side and "bring the truth of abortion to college campuses," said Noah Lindler, third-year aerospace engineering student and president of USC College Republicans.
The display and protest on Greene Street is an example of the intensity surrounding abortion as an issue this election — a central issue on Nov. 5 across the country no matter who wins.
"(The event) had lots of really good conversation. We had a good counter-protest," Lindler said.
Some counter-protestors did not see eye-to-eye with Lindler. Emma Galluccio, a third-year women’s and gender studies student, called the display "mentally debilitating and academically debilitating."
This election will be an indicator of Americans' feelings on this divisive issue, and the event on campus signals that tensions are high. Given candidates with differing views, direct state ballot questions and the big civic conversation in general, the country is faced with a time of choosing this election.
Since Dobbs, state laws have widely varied. Ten states have no restrictions on abortion whatsoever — it is allowed at any point during pregnancy. Fifteen states limit it to viability. While 14 states have a near-total ban, every single one includes exceptions for the life or health of the mother. Eight of those 14 also include exceptions for rape or incest.
These facts are important for voter literacy as they navigate an election cycle full of misinformation, disinformation and vague generalizations, particularly on the abortion issue. Voters need to know what their state allows, what is on the ballot, and what other states allow to understand the truth when facing opposing narratives.
In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that “The constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.” Previously null state laws have gone back into effect and abortion has been thrust into the national spotlight as 10 states have put the issue on the ballot for the upcoming election for voters to decide.
The home states of 2,961 USC students will be directly affected on the issue of abortion by the election this year by a record number of state ballot initiatives.
This election is quite significant, especially for voters in these 10 states. They get a direct, and in some cases a black and white, choice on this serious question of abortion. Initiatives in divided swing states such as Arizona bring heightened tensions to the issue.
With mere days left until the 2024 presidential election, abortion is one of many key issues to voters across the country and across the political spectrum. More voters than in 2020 cite it as a top issue, and the share of Democratic-leaning voters with that sentiment has doubled since then.
Young voters across the political spectrum agree that it is a significant item to consider this year. Many first-time voters, including thousands of USC students from states with ballot initiatives, will directly vote on a serious issue and choose between two candidates with different views.
Lindler cited abortion as one issue that is especially important to him. He also said that “there are a lot of single-issue voters who believe abortion is the most important topic to them and will vote based on the candidates’ stances on abortion.”
Rebecca Luebke, a fourth-year biology student and another pro-abortion counter-protestor, said he thinks the abortion debate in the upcoming election is “a make or break type of thing.”
VP and Democratic party nominee Kamala Harris has supported writing a right to abortion into federal law, has expressed strong opposition to a federal ban and has claimed Republican nominee former President Trump wants a federal abortion ban. However, he has not supported federal regulations and has criticized Florida’s six-week ban. He has taken credit for the Dobbs decision and appears to support the issue being left up to the states.
A federal abortion ban is highly unlikely, no matter who gets elected. Given congressional division, the likellihood of it being protected by federal law is also slim. However, both candidates speak on abortion frequesntly and have it in their respective policy agendas. Voters have a choice between two opposing narratives in the presidential election.
Public support varies in polling depending on what is specifically asked. According to one Pew poll, 79% of US adults support at least some restrictions, and less than a third fully support allowing abortion at 24 weeks, often considered the point at which the baby can survive outside the mother’s womb.
There is some common ground. However, division increases as positions on time- and circumstance-based limits become more specific. Such a controversial issue requires close attention when it is on the ballot, as it is in this election.
South Carolina has not avoided the controversy. The day the Dobbs decision was released, protestors held a demonstration in downtown Greenville. After several legal battles, a heartbeat law passed and is now state law.
State-by-state support will emerge following this election, particularly in the ten states with ballot questions on abortion. In these states, these ballot initiatives are more important for the abortion issue than the presidential election. Voters get to choose whether to enshrine protections for the procedure into state constitutions.
With imminent action taking place in states, abortion will be a central topic on Nov. 5 no matter who wins the race to 270. The display on Greene Street last week is a small indicator of an enormous conversation gripping America.