Washington, D.C., August 2024 — Abortion rights have emerged as a key issue in the U.S. presidential race, with Vice-President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump presenting starkly different visions for the future of reproductive rights in America.
Since the Supreme Court’s decision in June 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that had guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion for nearly 50 years, the landscape of abortion access has shifted dramatically across the country. The ruling returned control over abortion laws to individual states, resulting in a patchwork of regulations. Seventeen states, including Texas, Florida, and Alabama, have since enacted near-total bans on abortion, while 25 states, along with the District of Columbia, continue to protect access to the procedure.Vice-President Harris has made the restoration of abortion rights a central pillar of her campaign, promising to enact federal legislation that would protect access to abortion nationwide. This stance aligns with the views of the majority of Americans, two-thirds of whom support legal access to abortion. Harris’s commitment to reproductive rights has been a rallying point for Democratic voters, contributing to unexpected wins for the party in recent elections.On the other hand, Donald Trump, who appointed three Supreme Court justices instrumental in overturning Roe v. Wade, has taken a different approach. While he campaigned in 2016 on a promise to reverse Roe, Trump now supports leaving the issue to individual states. His campaign has also been linked to “Project 2025,” a policy blueprint that legal experts say could effectively amount to a national abortion ban, although Trump has distanced himself from the document.The November election will not only determine the future of abortion rights at the federal level but also in several key states where abortion-related referendums are on the ballot. States like Florida, Arizona, Maryland, and Nebraska will vote directly on abortion access, further intensifying the debate as the nation approaches Election Day.Globally, the U.S. stands out as one of the few countries where abortion rights have been rolled back in recent years. Most industrialized nations have moved toward liberalizing abortion laws, making the outcome of the U.S. election particularly significant on the world stage.
