Swalwell ad portrays woman getting arrested in front of family for having an abortion

A new ad from Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) supporting Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections portrays a woman being arrested in front of her family for having an abortion, warning such situations could happen if Republicans are able to ban the procedure. 

The ad shows a family having dinner when police officers come to their door and tell the woman that she is under arrest for unlawful termination of a pregnancy. The woman says it is “her personal business,” but an officer responds that the courts will decide that before arresting her.

“Elections have consequences,” a narrator later says. “Vote Democrat on November 8th. Stop Republicans from criminalizing abortion everywhere. Protect women’s rights and freedom.” 

Democrats have campaigned heavily on the issue of abortion access after the Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade, which recognized a constitutional right to abortion. More than a dozen states have since moved to ban or severely restrict abortion through trigger laws and legislation. 

No state law currently would send a woman to prison for having an abortion, but some would have doctors who perform abortions face criminal charges for doing so. In other states, they could face heavy fines or lose their medical licenses.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has introduced a bill to ban abortion nationally after 15 weeks of pregnancy, but several of his GOP colleagues in the Senate have said they do not support the proposal and the issue should be left to the states.

While Democrats have looked to make protecting abortion access a major issue on the campaign trail, some Democratic strategists have questioned the plan amid polling showing other issues like the economy and inflation being rated as the biggest issues for most voters.

A New York Times-Sienna College poll released this week showed the Republican Party leading among female independents by 18 points. The same poll found that only 5 percent of voters ranked abortion as their top issue ahead of the midterms, while the economy and inflation were the largest issues for voters.

FiveThirtyEight’s polling index shows Democrats leading in the generic congressional ballot by less than 1 point, though Republicans are favored to win the House.