A new ad shows a potential future scenario for people all over America if November's midterms don't go Democrats' way—people being arrested because of abortions.
The ad released by California Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell highlights the logical extension of Republicans' plans for reproductive freedom after the overturn of Roe v. Wade in June—criminal charges for people who are even suspected of terminating pregnancies and anyone who helps them.
And lest that sound melodramatic, nine states already have abortion laws on the books that penalize abortion with prison terms. Several states are now taking steps to limit access to contraception.
The ad gives a glimpse into just what it might look like if those laws are enforced to the letter as many Republicans claim to want.
See the ad below.
The ad shows a family with two children eating dinner when there's a knock on the door that turns out to be the police who have come to arrest the mother of the family for "illegally terminating a pregnancy."
She is informed her menstrual and reproductive health records have been subpoenaed and she will have to submit to a physical examination as she is handcuffed and forcibly taken from her home as her young children cry in horror and confusion.
It is not made clear if the woman actually had an abortion or was just under suspicion because of abnormalities in her menstrual cycle as the scenario sets up either as a possibility.
After the scene completes, onscreen text and a voiceover warns "elections have consequences" and urges viewers to vote for Democrats in November in order to "stop Republicans from criminalizing abortion everywhere."
Not content with simply having Roe v. Wade overturned and leaving the issue of reproductive rights to the states some Republicans, most notably South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, have proposed a national abortion ban beginning at 15 weeks.
And while some argued the ad is overwrought and the many laws criminalizing abortion already on the books are likely to be unenforceable, the United States has a history of imprisoning people for obtaining the procedure.
Speaking to MSNBC about the ad, Swalwell told the network's Joy Reid:
"I wish this was an exaggeration, but this is going to be the new reality in MAGA America if we do not win the midterms in both the House and the Senate."
On Twitter, the ad definitely had an impact on many people.
Despite the national outrage over Republicans' attacks on reproductive rights, the most recent polling shows Republicans favored to win the House and Democrats only narrowly favored to win the Senate.
Here's hoping the reality of the situation gets through to people before midterm elections on Tuesday, November 8.
