The 90-minute US Presidential debate saw abortion take center stage as a contentious issue between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. This crucial topic, deeply ingrained in American society, sparked a fierce exchange of words, underscoring its significance in the 2024 election.
Harris, the Democratic candidate, launched a scathing attack on Trump, warning that a Trump re-election would usher in a national abortion ban. She pointed to “Project 2025,” a plan she claimed included such a prohibition. Harris further pledged to sign legislation reinstating the protections of Roe v Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision guaranteeing abortion rights, if Congress passed it. “I pledge to you when Congress passes a bill to put back in place the protections of Roe v Wade, as President of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law,” Harris declared.
She emphasized the importance of reproductive rights, stating, “The American people believe that certain freedoms, like deciding what happens to one’s own body, should not be decided by the government.”
Trump, the Republican nominee, vehemently denied that he would sign a nationwide abortion ban. He defended the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, arguing that it rightly returned the issue of abortion regulation to individual states. “Each individual state is voting. It’s the vote of the people. Now, it’s not tied up in the federal government. I did a great service in doing it,” Trump asserted, claiming that the ruling had returned authority to the states.
Trump further mentioned the differing approaches of various states on the issue, and made a controversial claim that in some states, “babies are killed after they are born.” He went on to falsely claim that the majority of legal scholars supported state-level abortion regulation.
Harris swiftly countered, declaring that Trump “should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.” She emphasized her support for reinstating Roe v Wade and highlighted the severe consequences of current state laws. “Now, in over 20 states, there are Trump abortion bans, which make it criminal for a doctor or nurse to provide health care,” she stated, highlighting the life-threatening consequences for women in those states. She also condemned the absence of exceptions for rape and incest in these laws, emphasizing the inhumanity of forcing victims to carry their attackers’ children.
Harris went on to criticize Trump’s appointment of three Supreme Court justices, claiming he deliberately chose them to overturn Roe v Wade and fulfill his agenda. She accused Trump of misleading the public about his stance on abortion, and warned voters about the potential for further erosion of women’s rights under a Trump presidency. “You’ll hear a lot of lies,” Harris cautioned, urging voters to be aware of Trump’s deceptive tactics.
The exchange between Trump and Harris underscored the deeply divisive nature of abortion in the United States. The debate highlighted the stark differences in their approaches to women’s health and reproductive rights, a topic likely to remain central to the upcoming election.
