Will Nevada Have a Roevember?
Ariel Smith looks into whether anger over the Supreme Court repeal will take Democrats to victories in Nevada, or whether the issue is now taking a back seat to economic concerns, leading to a resurgence of Republican candidates.
Rise Up Reno has been the main organizer of many recent anti-Supreme Court protests, including those in front of the Bruce R. Thompson Courthouse and Federal Building on Virginia street.
The group started off with nightly protests, and hundreds in attendance. Riled-up, mostly young and some old, the protesters arrived with their signs in the early evening. They chanted “my body, my choice” along with less PG content, reflecting their anger. They offered comfort and reassurance to each other. Mothers were there with their daughters and people attended night after night, as summer heat broke in the high desert country.
Participants encouraged each other to vote in the upcoming midterms and while Nevada has a 1990 state law legalizing abortion, there was talk of the threat of future office holders working to eradicate the law.
Just days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe federal protections, Governor Steve Sisolak, a Democrat who is running for re-election, signed an executive order, called, in all capital letters: PROTECTING ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES IN NEVADA.
“In 2019, Nevada reaffirmed its commitment to reproductive freedom by passing Senate Bill 179, the Trust Nevada Women Act, which decriminalized medicated abortions and removed antiquated informed consent laws and other barriers to accessing reproductive health care across this State,” the introduction to the order read, as a reminder.
His Republican opponent in the governor’s race, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo recently changed his official position on whether to repeal the order. It protects women, in-state and also from out-of-state, from being prosecuted for seeking an abortion in Nevada.
In a note on his campaign website in September, Lombardo wrote: “Abortion is protected by law in Nevada for up to 24 weeks. That law was enacted by voters 30 years ago and only the people of Nevada could ever change that. No politician can change that law.”
Still some would-be voters have said they are distrustful of Republican candidates and their see-saw statements concerning the protection of abortions in Nevada going forward. They also fear further and more drastic federal action could be taken.
At protests, they have told reporters the Roe reversal has motivated them to vote in the midterms and to convince their friends to do so as well. How many remains to be seen, and whether it will lead Democrats to victory in close races for governor, the Senate and other races in Nevada is also questionable.
Eventually, most pro-abortion protesters got busy and tired. Protest numbers for Rise Up Reno dwindled and every night of the week turned into several times a week, to now just one, with additional special protests.
One of these was for International Safe Abortion Day. Evann Meyers, Celeste Wallis and Bill Sims were the first to show up with grocery bags full of chalk and water bottles in hand.
They started on the north end of Reno’s main city plaza, each grabbing a stick of chalk and beginning to write down their demands and other slogans including “legalize abortion” and “my body, my choice.” Noticing they had written down the same thing, they laughed and wrote more slogans. They eventually moved their way south dodging skateboarders until soon the whole plaza was covered, hoping to inspire more would-be voters.
On the other end of the political spectrum, anti-abortion advocates say they are playing the long game, eying more state bans and a federal one, election by election, judicial appointment by judicial appointment.
The executive director of Nevada Right to Life, Melissa Clement, has been quoted as saying she is working to eliminate Nevada’s abortion protections, but expects this will take time.
The Nevada Right to Life website does not have any apparent endorsements but a disclaimer reads: “Make a difference! Find your legislator and advocate for Life issues!” with a button which leads to a “Which Legislator Represents My Address?” search.
In the state’s most closely watched race, since it could tilt the balance of the Senate, Republican challenger Adam Laxalt has avoided talking about his opposition to abortion in both interviews and rallies. The strategy seems to be paying off as he has been climbing in many polls, going from behind for many months, to now leading by about a percentage point.
The Democratic incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto has made his previously stated opposition the centerpiece of many of her attack ads, including in Spanish (above), while acknowledging she needs to speak more about economic issues on the campaign trail.
Canvassers have told reporters that of late they have heard more concerns about inflation and other economic challenges, rather than about fears surrounding the future possibilities of abortions in Nevada.
