Abortion rights are a 'core issue' for Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris is depending on one big issue to help her win the 2024 presidential race: abortion.

Abortion is the "key issue" in Harris' campaign, said CNN. One poll found that 54% of likely voters trust her more than Donald Trump to do a better job on abortion rights. (He pulled in 41% of respondents.) Her advantage is even bigger among young people, Black and Latino voters. That is why Harris has adopted a "rapid-response mentality" on the topic, CNN said. She is quick to highlight developments like ProPublica's reporting on two Georgia women who died because of delayed care related to that state's abortion ban.

Harris has been a "leading voice" on abortion rights, said The Washington Post. Her key position: She wants legislation to restore the national abortion rights that were eliminated when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. That change created a "horrific, heartbreaking reality" for women in states where abortion bans have passed, she has said. And Harris has vowed to protect access to the abortion drug mifepristone — her office in March called the drug "essential medication."

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'Threw her weight' into abortion cases

Harris "has a long record of supporting abortion rights in California," said CalMatters. "As long as I have known her, this has always been a core issue," said San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu. As California's attorney general, she "threw her weight" behind cases involving abortion, including investigating allegations that Planned Parenthood was selling fetal remains and advocating regulation of anti-abortion pregnancy centers. That gives her "credibility" among reproductive rights groups, CalMatters said.

It also earns the ire of anti-abortion activists. Harris has "passionately" advocated a "pro-abortion agenda," Richard Doerflinger, a fellow with the National Catholic Bioethics Center, said at National Review. In 2020, Harris "taunted" then-candidate Joe Biden for supporting the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal funds for abortions. Harris, Doerflinger said, could be expected to rescind the band. The vice president has, he said, been "singularly obsessed" with abortion.

But some progressives think Harris doesn't go far enough. She "has not said whether she supports Roe's restrictions," said Politico. Under the old precedent, states could limit abortions during the third trimester. That is frustrating for some abortion-rights supporters who believe "government has no role in regulating abortions even after fetal viability."

Eliminating the filibuster

One sign of Harris' seriousness on abortion: She supports ending the Senate filibuster so the chamber can pass pro-choice legislation with 51 votes, NPR said. (Under the filibuster, most controversial legislation requires 60 votes to pass.) "I've been very clear, I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe," she said in a public radio interview.

Will the issue swing the election? Arizona progressives, for example, are worried a state-level ballot measure to protect abortion rights is not helping aid Democratic candidates at the polls, Politico said. Voters are "prioritizing other issues," said one abortion rights activist. We don't expect the ballot initiatives to deliver these states for us," said a Harris campaign adviser. In a close race, the adviser said, abortion is a "motivating issue that could bring more people to Harris' side."