MEMO: Voters Delivered a Mandate on Abortion, Now Lawmakers Must Deliver - Reproductive Freedom for All®

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MEMO: Voters Delivered a Mandate on Abortion, Now Lawmakers Must Deliver

TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Reproductive Freedom for All
DATE: Friday, November 13, 2026

MEMO: Voters Delivered a Mandate on Abortion, Now Lawmakers Must Deliver

The election has changed what is possible for abortion policy. Voters elected candidates who ran on reproductive freedom and rejected efforts to take abortion rights away. New Democratic trifectas in states across the country create opportunities to repeal harmful restrictions, strengthen protections, and make care more accessible.

The mandate sent by voters to advance reproductive freedom spans nationwide, increasing pressure on Republicans to work with new majorities to expand access—and raising the political cost of standing in the way.

States: Put New Governing Power to Work

Nearly 24 million women live in states with new reproductive freedom trifectas, where lawmakers can now advance stronger protections and better access to care. Leaders are already signaling their intent: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro celebrated the state’s new Democratic trifecta by naming expanding reproductive freedom among his priorities.

In Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Minnesota, and Nevada, the opportunities include:

  • Arizona: Create comprehensive shield protections and contraception protections, and repeal remaining restrictions on providers, coverage, and care.
  • Michigan: Strengthen shield protections, raise Medicaid reimbursement rates, and repeal waiting-period and parental involvement requirements.
  • Minnesota: Enact telemedicine shield protections.
  • Nevada: Enact telemedicine shield protections and expand Medicaid coverage.
  • Pennsylvania: Expand protections for abortion, enact comprehensive shield protections and increase Medicaid reimbursement rates, while repealing many medically unnecessary restrictions on care.
  • Wisconsin: Establish statutory or constitutional protections for abortion, while repealing many medically unnecessary restrictions on care.

Democratic gains also create opportunities where full governing control remains divided:

  • North Carolina could open a path to an abortion ban repeal. Democrats have won the House and hold the governorship, while Senate control remains unresolved. If the final result gives Democrats the governing power to advance legislation, repealing the state’s 12-week abortion ban should be a priority.
    • Democratic control of the North Carolina House and Governor’s office means the state can eliminate or reduce its funding for anti-abortion centers. In 2026, the state directed more than $10 million dollars to AACs, but a Democratic-controlled House can ensure these appropriations are not in the state budget.
  • Texas and Georgia have broken Republican trifectas and elected Democrats to crucial statewide offices. Democrats have dramatically strengthened their negotiating position, and Republican-controlled state senates will face sustained pressure to work with Democrats. Already, we’re seeing Democrats like Attorney General-elect Nathan Johnson in Texas promise to use his office to ensure healthcare providers aren’t sued for mailing abortion pills — transforming the landscape of care.

Congress: Turn New Majorities Into Action

While a potential presidential veto will shape what becomes law, new Democratic majorities in Congress have power to move legislation, negotiate funding, and demand votes. They should use every opportunity to secure progress—and require opponents to answer for blocking it. Priorities include:

  • Passing federal protections and expanding access to abortion care: Congress must deliver on the mandate voters gave to pass an expansive federal bill on abortion rights and access.
  • Advancing legislation to expand reproductive freedom: Reproductive freedom means the freedom to decide if, when, and how to start a family. Congress must enshrine the right to contraception in federal law; expand protections and increase access to infertility treatments, including IVF; and establish a federal paid family and medical leave program.
  • Rolling back harmful cuts to Medicaid and other critical programs: Congress should roll back the harms of Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” that cut Medicaid funding and stripped access to care for millions of Americans. It is also critical to restore the expired Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits that Republicans let lapse, leading to premium spikes and loss of coverage for millions of Americans across the country.
  • Blocking extreme judicial and executive nominees: The new Senate majority must block Trump’s federal judicial and executive nominees who threaten reproductive freedom across the country.
  • Using appropriations powers to expand affordability and access to care for marginalized communities: New majorities in the House and Senate will control federal spending, giving them the power to end discriminatory bans on abortion coverage like the Hyde Amendment, and finally appropriate adequate funds for reproductive healthcare that serves those most in need, including young people, under- and uninsured people, and other marginalized populations.
  • Establishing checks on the administration via oversight powers: Committees should conduct oversight over the agencies attacking medication abortion and emergency abortion care, as well as pressure the Department of Justice to fully enforce the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act to hold accountable violators who harass patients seeking care.
  • Strengthening democracy and reforming the Supreme Court: It is critical that Congress pass comprehensive legislation to protect the right to vote and advance efforts to structurally reform the Supreme Court by expanding the number of justices, imposing term limits, and passing an enforceable code of ethics.

The Bottom Line: The historic victories secured on Election Day must translate into tangible action to protect lives, lower costs, and restore fundamental freedoms. The measure of this election’s impact will be what changes for people seeking care: fewer restrictions, stronger protections, and more affordable access. Voters delivered an unmistakable mandate for candidates up and down the ballot to prioritize abortion rights and access — we have no time to waste to start transforming the landscape of reproductive freedom.