By Susan Crockin and Tara Sonenshine, opinion contributors 09/05/24 10:00 AM ET
Abortion and reproductive freedom are on the ballot and up for debate in America today, and likely to be a central issue in the upcoming ABC debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Democrats see abortion as a “winning issue” this election, now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. They have been successful at the state level ever since that 2022 decision, and they hope to capitalize on those gains to keep the White House and the Senate this fall, and maybe even take back the U.S. House.
Trump, meanwhile, has been throwing curveballs recently on both abortion and in vitro fertilization, telling NBC News “under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment [for IVF for] all Americans who get it; all Americans who need it.”
The former president also said last week he will not vote for a controversial ballot measure in Florida that would effectively prevent and overturn state laws limiting abortion, even though he had previously said he “disagreed” with the state’s current restrictive abortion law because “you need more time than six weeks.”
Abortion rights have been losing ground ever since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision as many states take restrictive positions.
