ATLANTA — During the first night of the Democratic National Convention, the party showed it is counting on abortion rights as an issue to help them win the presidency this fall.
Georgia is a state where those rights got restricted after the passage of the state’s so-called "Heartbeat law."
The question for Democrats is whether voters will also prioritize it.
Alana Vormon, a 19-year-old student at Georgia Gwinnett College, says she’s going to vote for the first time this fall on a range of issues.
"I would say things like climate change," Vormon said on Tuesday. "The economy, jobs."
She includes reproductive rights in her list of issues.
Monday night, Democrats showcased women who said they needed abortion services but couldn’t get them in states with restrictive laws.
"Two emergency rooms sent me away. Because of Louisiana’s abortion ban, no one would confirm I was miscarrying," Kaitlyn Joshua told delegates on Monday. "I was in pain, bleeding so much my husband feared for my life. No woman should experience what I endured."
Though polls show most voters say they support abortion rights, Democrats know it sometimes competes with other quality-of-life issues. They are hoping voters on the fence will make it a priority, says Georgia democratic delegate Dar’shun Kendrick.
"We're talking about real people who have to make real decisions, real choices. And the brave women that we heard on that stage (Monday) just brought home the fact that this is about women's health care," said Kendrick, a state representative from Lithonia.
"Oh, I believe abortion should be up to the women," said 19-year-old Voldency Jules, another Georgia Gwinnett College student.
Yet, Republicans who want to restrict abortion have prevailed in Georgia since the 2019 passage of the heartbeat law and its enactment after Roe v. Wade was overturned last year.