Press Release Michigan
Press Release
New Polling From NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia Shows 94% of Georgians Oppose Banning Contraception, as Gov. Kemp Admits It Is on the Table
For Immediate Release: Thursday, September 22, 2022
Contact: [email protected]
New Polling From NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia Shows 94% of Georgians Oppose Banning Contraception, as Gov. Kemp Admits It Is on the Table
Georgia — Today, NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia released new polling from EMC Research showing that 94% of Georgians oppose—with 87% strongly opposed—banning birth control. This polling comes as anti-choice extremist Governor Brian Kemp was caught on tape stating he is open to banning contraception.
Stacey Abrams, the NARAL-endorsed reproductive freedom champion, is locked in a tight race with Gov. Kemp. Recent analysis and public polling highlight how motivated voters are to act on their values at the ballot box, and indicate that abortion and birth control access could be the difference-maker in the race.
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju released the following statement in response:
“This polling underscores that Governor Brian Kemp is wildly out of touch with Georgians and their values. His attacks on our most fundamental freedoms are almost universally opposed by Georgians. With 94% of people in Georgia opposed to Gov. Kemp’s agenda, come November, voters are ready to toss out Gov. Kemp and his extreme priorities.”
NARAL Pro-Choice America Southeast Campaigns Director Alicia Stallworth said:
“Governor Kemp does not care about what Georgians need. He continues to operate with a mindset that his job is to amass more power and control over our lives, not to make our lives better. This new polling isn’t just a referendum on Georgia’s opposition to Gov. Kemp’s agenda, but on Gov. Kemp himself. NARAL and our 80,000 members in Georgia will not stop mobilizing until we have a governor who represents us, our futures, and our freedoms. We must turn out to elect Stacey Abrams this November.”
EMC Research’s polling also found that:
- Nearly all Georgia voters think abortion should be legal, at least in certain cases and situations. Only 8% of respondents think abortion should be illegal in all circumstances.
- Majorities of voters, including majorities of Democrats, Independents, women under 50, men, and Black voters oppose the ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, which is before many people even know they are pregnant, signed into law by Gov. Kemp in 2019.
- 81% of respondents oppose banning emergency contraception, such as Plan B.
- 83% of respondents oppose criminal penalties on doctors and nurses providing reproductive health care, and 84% oppose similar penalties for those accessing reproductive health care.
- 77% of respondents oppose prohibiting abortion at any time during pregnancy without exceptions.
The contrast between Gov. Kemp and reproductive freedom champion Stacey Abrams is as stark as ever. Abrams, endorsed by NARAL earlier this year, has steadfastly fought for reproductive freedom throughout her career. As minority leader of the Georgia State House, she voted against anti-choice legislation and led her caucus in fighting an anti-choice bill that bans insurance coverage for abortion. She also organized lawmakers against legislation that prohibits access to abortion care after 20 weeks. As an activist, Abrams also fought against Georgia’s draconian six-week abortion ban, and she worked with NARAL to mobilize the business community and film industry leaders to stand up for reproductive freedom by remaining in Georgia and organizing.
Last week, NARAL Pro-Choice America released an analysis of mail ballot requests in Georgia that signaled an early sign of enthusiasm for Democrats amid anti-choice Republicans’ attacks on reproductive freedom. The analysis, conducted by TargetSmart, a leading progressive data and polling firm, found that women, people of color, and Democrats are outpacing Republicans and key conservative voting blocks in mail ballot requests. This is the first analysis to be released about which Georgians are requesting mail ballots.
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—ending the constitutional right to abortion and opening the door for extremist state lawmakers to put total bans on abortion in place. This decision is already having a devastating impact throughout the country as 15 states, including Georgia, have begun enforcing extreme or total bans on abortion. The people hurt most by these bans and restrictions are those who already face barriers to accessing abortion care—including women; Black, Indigenous, and other people of color; those working to make ends meet; the LGBTQ+ community; immigrants; young people; those living in rural communities; and people with disabilities.
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For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for every body. NARAL is powered by its 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.