Elizabeth Warren: Abortion is 'about the functioning of our democracy'

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In media news today, CNN's Jake Tapper defends Nancy Pelosi after Sen. Susan Collins knocks speaker for 'partisan' Jan. 6 committee, PBS' Yamiche Alcindor lobbies Biden to extend eviction moratorium, and the Washingtonian attempts to cover for DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's photo scandal

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., claimed Monday that access to abortion was "about the functioning of our Democracy," and that "right-wing extremists" were trying to keep people from voting in order to impose their views about the issue on the entire nation. 

In an interview with Teen Vogue first reported on by the Daily Caller, the liberal Democrat argued that being able to make decisions for yourself was "part of the heart" of what democracy was all about and that the issues of abortion and voting intersected with one another "from the perspective of respect for the individual, and also from a political point of view." 

"Both voting and access to abortion are basic. They're about the functioning of our democracy and about the protection of personal autonomy," Warren said after being asked if voting rights and abortion rights were the "key issues" in making sure people's freedoms were protected. "Protection of the vote means your voice gets heard in government. Protection of access to basic health care means your autonomy as a human being is fully respected by the law. That you will make the decisions about yourself." 

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"To me, that's part of the heart of what all of this is about. This is where the two big fights are shaping up right now. And each intersects with the other. Both from the perspective of respect for the individual, and also from a political point of view," she added. "The right-wing extremists know that if they can keep people from voting, they've got a better chance to impose their views about abortion on an unwilling nation."

Warren did not elaborate on who she was referring to as "right-wing extremists," but cited a 2018 NBC-WSJ poll that found 71% of registered voters believed that Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court's landmark ruling on abortion, should not be overturned, and claimed that "a small but intensely focused group of people" wanted to "impose their will on the majority" of Americans. 

She then claimed, without evidence, that the Republican Party was openly admitting they could only "hang on to power" by keeping a substantial number of U.S. citizens from voting because the policy on abortion they wanted to implement was unpopular with most Americans, seemingly referring to Democratic claims that Republican-backed state election laws were attempting to disenfranchise minority voters.

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Although Warren cited the poll showing a majority of Americans supported maintaining Roe v. Wade, the same poll showed that only 44% of registered voters said they were more likely to vote for a candidate if they were pro-choice. The remaining 55% said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who was pro-life (26%) or that a candidate's view on abortion had no effect on their decision (29%).