The nation was rocked on Sunday morning when Joe Biden officially announced that he would not be accepting the Democratic nominee for President.
In his address posted to social media, he noted that he fully endorsed his current Vice President, Kamala Harris as his top pick for nominee. Millions are left to wonder what a Harris presidency would mean for reproductive rights in the U.S.
Who Is Kamala Harris
Harris is a former prosecutor in California and state senator who first ran for president in 2020. After dropping out of the race to support Joe Biden, she was selected as his running mate for their winning election.
She hails from Black and South Asian descent and has been a strong proponent of legal immigration, reproductive rights, as well as law and order.
Accomplishments as a Prosecutor
Harris first mad a name for herself as an Alameda County prosecutor in the Bar Area before she was elected as San Francisco District attorney in 2004.
After this, she was sown in as attorney general and made a historic accomplishment of reaching a multi-billion dollar deal with five major banks to settle flawed mortgage foreclosure practices. The deal provided much needed relief to those affected.
Will She Be the Democratic Nominee?
For now it hasn’t been decided whose name will appear on the official presidential ballot in November.
When Joe Biden officially stepped aside as the nominee for his party he simply endorsed Harris as his top pick. The nominee for the party will be officially selected at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) next month.
Low Polling Results
During her bid for 2020 presidential nominee, Harris dropped out due to low polling and messaging issues.
However, the public may have been too quick to judge the Californian. Since then, her numbers have steadily increased with young voters as she has a track record of voting on left-leaning issues.
Stance on Reproductive Rights
Harris was in office in June 2022 when Roe V. Wade was historically dismantled by the right-leaning Supreme Court.
She frequently criticized Trump’s anti-choice politics and the Supreme Court’s decision to revoke the famous ruling. Reproductive rights will most likely be at the forefront of her campaign efforts.
New Anti-Trump Ads
On Monday morning, Harris officially launched her first attack ad on former President Donald Trump.
The ad touches on Roe V. Wade as abortion access remains a critical talking point for voters this election year. For many voters, it could come down to this single issue.
Not Backing Down
The ad states that, “Kamala Harris won’t back down. With so much at stake, we don’t have time to waste. Resilient, relentless, fighter. The time is now.”
Many proponents of Harris’ campaign say that Republicans have launched a full scale attack on reproductive rights and the issue will be a mainstay for the coming election cycle.
Abortion Ban
During a tour in January around Wisconsin to promote Biden’s administration commitments to reinstated abortion access, Harris noted that “1 in 3 women of reproductive age live in a state with an abortion ban.”
This means that about 21.5 million women of child-bearing age -15 to 49- live in states that ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Due to the way that pregnancies are calculated, many women don’t find out until they are roughly 8 weeks along. The vast majority of elective abortions occur in the first trimester.
Will Harris Reinstate Roe V. Wade?
Earlier this year, Biden promised to reinstate the law if re-elected in November. Harris has been a strong supporter of both reproductive rights and Biden’s legislative plans.
It’s likely that she will continue to run on a platform of informed choice for all women which means many think she’s likely to push the promise of a Roe V. Wade ruling in the future.
It Comes Down to the Senate
In general, senators vote in line with their party. If Harris wants to successfully reinstate the old abortion rules, she would need to have a majority democratic senate to push through the votes.
Although there are other presidential orders that can be signed into effect, the most important battle grounds will be the senate and congress.
This Could Spell Trouble for Trump
During his presidency, Trump pushed several laws through legislature to reduce the laws surrounding abortion.
A small faction of die-hard Republican women actually turned their backs on him after they experienced the downsides of restricted healthcare access. Kamala running on a platform of female empowerment and increased rights could be the very think that could beat Trump a second time.
