In TDA’s U.S. election series, we will cut through the noise of the campaigns, and bring you Harris and Trump’s positions on the economy, abortion, and immigration.
This week, more than 100 million people in the U.S. are expected to vote for their next President.
The White House race is between the current Vice President Kamala Harris (Democrat) and former President Donald Trump (Republican).
So far, the campaign has had many twists: President Biden dropping out of the race, assassination attempts against Trump, and suspected Iranian interference.
Ahead of election day, TDA is cutting through the noise to break down the biggest election issues. In today’s deep dive, we’ll take a look at abortion.
Roe v. Wade
In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — the case used for nearly 50 years to protect the right to an abortion in the country at the federal level.
The decision meant individual states could determine their own abortion legislation.
Since then, 13 states have made abortion completely illegal. Exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of the pregnant person differ across these states.
In a further four states, abortions are banned with some exceptions after six weeks’ gestation.
The Centre for Reproductive Rights says overturning Roe v. Wade has turned some states into “abortion deserts”, forcing women to travel across state borders and spend lots of money to access reproductive care.
This month, researchers from the University of Ohio found infant mortality rates increased after the Supreme Court’s decision.
According to the Pew Research Centre, 51% of Americans say abortion is a key election issue, an 11% jump since 2020.
Harris
One of Harris’s key focuses on the campaign trail has been abortion access. She says her Government would “trust women to make decisions about their own bodies”.
Part of Harris’ campaign strategy has been to blame Trump for overturning Roe v. Wade because of the judges he appointed to the Supreme Court who helped make the decision.
If elected, Harris has said she would approve legislation to protect abortion at a national level.
Harris’ ability to approve that law would depend on the Democrats’ overall success in Congress — made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
If the party wins the Presidency, and gets a majority in the House and Senate, it will be able to pass an abortion law.
Republicans currently control the House.
Harris has claimed Trump would introduce a national abortion ban if elected.
Trump
Trump was strongly in favour of the Supreme Court ending the constitutional right to an abortion.
He has said the states should continue to decide their own laws on abortion. He has denied plans to introduce national abortion restrictions.
During the presidential debate in September, Trump said he believed in “exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother”.
The Republican campaign website says the party opposes “late term abortion”, which Trump has repeatedly claimed refers to doctors killing newborn babies.
The party has also committed to “policies that advance prenatal care, access to birth control, and IVF”.
