Among the 28 candidates running for one of the six House seats that include portions of Orange County, the eight Democrats all support upholding national safeguards on abortion access created half a century ago by a now-endangered Supreme Court ruling in the case Roe. v. Wade.
No local Republican running for Congress is speaking in support of such protections, with most instead endorsing limited or complete bans on abortion rights.
The Supreme Court ruled in the 1973 case Roe v. Wade that the Constitution guarantees women the right to decide for themselves whether to get an abortion, and it set limits on the restrictions that any state could impose on abortion access. Though the decision has become a political lightning rod, it’s also been generally popular — particularly in California. Last year, the Public Policy Institute of California found that nearly 80% of adults in the state, including 59% of Republicans, opposed unwinding Roe v. Wade.
But this week, a draft Supreme Court opinion leaked to Politico shows the majority-conservative court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. With red states rushing to pass pre-emptive abortion bans, the news has sparked renewed calls from abortion access advocates for a vote in Congress to codify abortion rights into national law. And it’s made candidate stances on the once-legally-settled topic a key issue heading into this year’s midterm elections.
In anticipation of such a move from the Supreme Court, the Democrat-controlled House in September passed a bill that would guarantee abortion access for all Americans. So far, it hasn’t been taken up in the Senate. But two original co-sponsors of that bill, H.R. 3755, are locals: Democratic Reps. Mike Levin of San Juan Capistrano and Linda Sánchez of Whittier. Two other locals, Reps. Katie Porter of Irvine and Lou Correa of Anaheim, joined on as sponsors, while local GOP House Reps. Young Kim of La Habra and Michelle Steel of Seal Beach voted against the bill.
Among the 19 Republicans running for local House seats in the primary, 14 told the Register they broadly oppose broad abortion rights. Six GOP candidates, including Steel, said they do support very limited exceptions to abortion bans, such as to protect the life of the mother. The farthest-right stance came from CA-40 candidate Nick Taurus, who said he supports “serious consequences” for women who get abortions and the doctors who provide them. Five Republicans didn’t respond to the question, while the one independent candidate’s stance remains unclear.
In terms of reactions since the Supreme Court draft opinion leaked Monday night, Porter, Levin, Correa and Sánchez all have made strong public statements condemning the ruling. So have Democratic candidates Asif Mahmood, Kim’s primary challenger in CA-40, and Jay Chen, Steel’s main challenger in CA-45.
“Justice (Samuel) Alito begins his draft opinion by stating that Americans are divided on the issue of abortion,” Porter wrote on Twitter. “I agree. That’s why people should be free to make their own reproductive decisions.”
While Republicans who oppose abortion rights might be expected to celebrate, neither Kim nor Steel appears to have made a public statement about the news. Neither have major GOP candidates challenging the Democratic incumbents, including Scott Baugh, who’s running against Porter in CA-47, or two of Levin’s challengers, Lisa Bartlett and Brian Maryott.
Meanwhile, Levin challenger Christopher Rodriguez vowed on Twitter that, if elected, he would introduce legislation “that will define human life as beginning in the womb.” Correa challenger Christopher Gonzales on Facebook shared an anti-abortion message with a Bible verse. And Taurus, on Instagram, described slavery as a “distant second” to legalized abortion in terms of being a “black mark on our nation’s history.”
Here’s how local House candidates summed up their stance on abortion rights in written responses of 50 words or less.
38th District
– Rep. Linda Sánchez, D-Whittier: “I support a woman’s right to choose.”
– Eric Ching, R-Walnut: “I believe in preserving life and life begins at conception. I believed in helping struggling mothers to raise their babies. I believed contraception and adoption are better alternatives to abortion.”
– John Sarega, R-La Mirada: Did not respond.
– Rep. Young Kim, R-La Habra: “As a mother of four and new grandmother, standing up for life is personal to me. I am a proud pro-life woman and I believe the rights of the child must be respected.”
– Asif Mahmood, D-Tustin: “I strongly believe in a woman’s right to reproductive health care and will fight attempts to repeal Roe v. Wade.”
– Greg Raths, R-Mission Viejo: “I am a pro-life candidate. I believe that child in the womb must be protected. In the case of a mother’s life being in serious jeopardy, then that decision to continue a pregnancy should be with the mother and her doctor.”
– Nick Taurus, R-Laguna Hills: “I believe that life begins at conception, that Roe v. Wade should be repealed by the Supreme Court and that both the doctors who perform the abortions and the women who receive them should face serious consequences. All public funding for Planned Parenthood must also come to an end!”
– Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Seal Beach: “I believe in the right to life and I believe we need to protect the rights of unborn children. Life is sacred, and no one should have the power to unilaterally end it. I believe there are exceptions to protect the life of the mother.”
– Jay Chen, D-Hacienda Heights: “Reproductive rights should be protected at all costs and health care decisions should be made between a woman and her doctor, without interference from politicians. Attacks on Roe v. Wade and the right to an abortion endangers the health and safety of women across the country.”
– Long Pham, R-Fountain Valley: “I am opposed to abortion except for the case of rape and when the health of the mother is in danger.”
46th District
– Rep. Lou Correa, D-Anaheim: “I am pro-choice. I fully support a woman’s choice.”
– Christopher Gonzales, R-Irvine: “I am pro-life from conception to natural death.”
– Mike Nguyen, R-Santa Ana: Did not respond
– Mike Ortega, D-Anaheim: “The state has no place in controlling a woman’s agency over her reproductive system. These decisions are not easy for American women and families, so we should not have barriers in place that make those decisions even harder. Therefore, we must ensure that the right to abortion is protected on a federal level.”
– Felix Rocha Jr., R-Fountain Valley: “I do not agree with abortion; except, in the case of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is endangered.”
– Ed Rushman, NPP-Anaheim: “According to the Guttmacher Institute: Oregon, Vermont, Colorado, New Hampshire, DC, Alaska, New Jersey, and New Mexico currently have no 24-week, or even viability prohibitions on abortion, and other states are going that way. Doe v Bolton permits this and Congress cannot override a Supreme Court decision. I won’t vote to fund abortions.”
47th District
– Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine: “All Americans should be free to decide for themselves if and when to start a family. There is no economic security without bodily autonomy — the ability to control our own bodies. The right to seek an abortion is protected by the Constitution, and federal law should respect this right.”
– Scott Baugh, R-Huntington Beach: “Life begins at conception. Others may disagree as to precisely when life begins, but there should be no disagreement as to whether it is OK to abort children who have reached the point of viability. We need to promote a culture of life in America – not a culture of termination.”
– Brian Burley, R-Huntington Beach: Did not respond. (In 2020 he said, “I am pro-life but I believe in exceptions.”)
– Errol Webber, R-Costa Mesa: “We must protect all life at all stages of life, including those in the womb.”
– Amy Phan West, R-Huntington Beach: “I am staunchly pro-life.”
49th District
Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano: “I support a woman’s right under Roe v. Wade to access reproductive health care and make her own health care decisions.”
Lisa Barlett, R-Dana Point: “I am pro-life, but understand exceptions for rape, incest, or risk to the mother’s life. I oppose taxpayer funds being used for abortions.”
Brian Maryott, R-San Juan Capistrano: Did not respond.
Josiah O’Neil, R-Murietta: “All forms of abortion should be illegal.”
Christopher Rodriguez, R-Oceanside: Did not respond. (However, on social media he’s an outspoken opponent of abortion.)
Nadia Bahia Smalley, D-Carlsbad: “I feel that this is a personal call for the pregnant woman. … I feel that under circumstances such as incest or rape or other personal choices by the pregnant woman, if an abortion is part of an alternative for her, it should be her choice and solely up to her.”
Renee Taylor, R-San Juan Capistrano: “Life is precious; women and unborn children should be protected by law when necessary to prevent the death of the mother, in cases of violence against women or minors or incest against a minor.”
