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Abortion Debate Reignited as Divisive Issue for 2020 Campaigns

  • State laws ‘woke a sleeping giant’ of anti-abortion activism
  • Progressives wary of Supreme Court after conservative tilt
Demonstrators hold signs in front of anti-abortion protestors in Washington, DC.

Demonstrators hold signs in front of anti-abortion protestors in Washington, DC.

Photographer: Zach Gibson/Getty Images

The acrimonious debate over abortion that’s divided the country for generations is being reignited for the 2020 election with the Supreme Court’s tilt to the right and Democratic-led states moving to lift some restrictions on the procedure.

New York has eased some restrictions on late-term abortions, and lawmakers in Virginia have proposed to do so. That has given anti-abortion advocates fresh arguments and targets. Both sides in the debate, at the same time, expect the Supreme Court with two conservative justices appointed by President Donald Trump to narrow abortion rights.