Even before President Biden's withdrawal opened the door to the White House race, US Vice President Kamala Harris has established herself as a staunch advocate for abortion rights, a position that could now be decisive in November.
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“We will end Donald Trump’s extremism by banning abortion because we know women should make the decisions they want about their bodies, without government having a say!” the now-prospective Democratic nominee declared at a campaign rally earlier this week.
Two years after the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, created by the Republican president’s recent appointments, ended federal protections for abortion rights, the nomination of a dedicated activist could rally progressive voters to the Democrats—enough to make a difference in what is expected to be a tight election.
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What is her position on abortion?
It’s not a new battle for Ms. Harris: As a member of the California attorney general’s office, she fought the deceptive practices of anti-abortion activists. As a senator, she was highly critical of Judge Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing before he was nominated to the Supreme Court.
This is enough to distinguish him from Joe Biden, who has always been cautious on the subject, and regularly invokes his Catholic education to justify his discomfort with the subject.
During his State of the Union address to Congress earlier this year, Biden deviated from his remarks, preferring the terms “reproductive rights” or “freedom of choice” instead of “abortion.”
When Joe Biden entered the Senate in 1973, he considered the Supreme Court to have “gone too far” when it ruled in favor of federal protection of the right to abortion, in the famous Roe v. Wade decision, and further described the medical procedure in 2006 as “always a tragedy” and “not necessarily a choice and a right.”
Although his position has evolved since then, abortion advocates have always considered the US president reluctant to fully support their cause.
“What makes Ms. Harris dangerous to Donald Trump on the abortion issue is that, unlike him, she knows what she’s talking about and can channel voters’ anger,” feminist writer Jessica Valenti told AFP in an interview.
“I don’t think people clearly understand how angry women were when Roe was overturned,” she added. “Ms. Harris has the opportunity to capitalize on that.”
On the specific issue of abortion, Kamala Harris has a 12-point lead over Mr. Trump, according to a YouGov poll conducted this week, a much larger margin than the five-point lead Joe Biden had at the beginning of July.
Although Ms. Harris has not yet been formally appointed, the pro-abortion group Reproductive Freedom for All is fully committed to her, valuing in a press release, through its leader, Minnie Timaraju, that “no one has fought harder to ensure the right to abortion and access to it,” Ms. Harris says. “We are proud to support her.”
And this is on the Republican side?
On the Republican side, vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance has made clear his desire to “ban” abortion nationwide, as Donald Trump tries to keep things together.
“He is an extremist, and he embodies Republican extremism on abortion,” Ms. Valenti said.
“Having Mr. Vance on his side will complicate things for Donald Trump if he wants to present himself as a moderate on this issue,” said Mark Trussler, a political scientist at the University of Pennsylvania.
According to him, “Ms. Harris's message clearly comes across better” than Joe Biden's.
On the other hand, it is too early to know whether the issue, which has delivered local victories to Democrats, could affect the election, Mr. Trussler estimates.
“We are in a grace period for Ms. Harris's nomination,” he said, noting that she has not yet had to put herself on divisive issues within her own party, such as the conflict in Gaza or reforming the U.S. sanctions system.
