At Health Fitness Revolution, we are dedicated to covering all aspects of health and wellness, including issues that impact the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of our readers. Abortion rights are a significant public health concern, as they directly affect women’s access to safe medical care and bodily autonomy. Given the pivotal role that reproductive health plays in overall wellness, we believe it is important to provide our readers with unbiased, factual information about where the 2024 presidential candidates stand on this issue. Our goal is to empower our audience with knowledge, enabling them to make informed decisions when they vote. Also, read our article on how local elections REALLY do affect our health.
Abortion, the medical process of terminating a pregnancy, has been one of the most polarizing political issues in the United States. The debate over abortion rights first reached the Supreme Court in 1973 with Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide and established a woman’s constitutional right to choose to terminate her pregnancy. This ruling was overturned in 2022 by Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, shifting the power to regulate abortion back to individual states. Since the Dobbs decision, several states have enacted severe restrictions or outright bans on abortion, bringing the issue of reproductive rights to the forefront of the 2024 election.
What is Abortion?
Abortion can be performed in two ways: through medication or surgery. The method used depends on the stage of the pregnancy and the woman’s health. There are many reasons why women choose to have abortions, including unplanned pregnancies, financial or social instability, health risks to the mother, or cases of fetal abnormalities. Some pregnancies, such as ectopic pregnancies, are life-threatening and require medical termination to protect the mother’s life.
Reasons Women Choose Abortion:
- Health Risks: Conditions like preeclampsia, cancer, or heart disease may make it unsafe for a woman to carry a pregnancy to term(Abortions rights in Ame…).
- Fetal Anomalies: Severe fetal conditions may be diagnosed during pregnancy, leading to the choice to terminate(Abortions rights in Ame…).
- Rape or Incest: Some women seek abortions as a result of pregnancies that result from sexual violence.
- Socioeconomic Factors: Many women cite financial instability, lack of support, or an inability to provide for a child as reasons for seeking an abortion(Abortions rights in Ame…).
- Personal Choice: Some women choose abortion due to personal reasons, such as feeling unprepared for motherhood or wanting to focus on education or career(Abortions rights in Ame…).
Abortion access has significant implications for women’s health and autonomy, making it a critical issue for voters in the upcoming election.
Democratic Stance: Pro-Choice and Reproductive Rights
The Democratic Party firmly supports a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body. They believe that the government should not interfere in the relationship between a woman and her healthcare provider when it comes to abortion. Democrats, led by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, have pushed for federal protections that guarantee access to safe, legal abortion services, especially in states where restrictive laws have been passed following the Dobbs decision.
Democrats have provided such a strong emphasis that back during the Biden-Harris administration released this statement “more than 20 states have imposed extreme and dangerous abortion bans—many of which include no exception even for rape or incest—that put the health and lives of women in jeopardy, force women to travel hundreds of miles for care, and threaten to criminalize doctors for providing the health care that their patients need and that they are trained to provide.” Kamala Harris’s views on abortion are very pro-choice advocacy on expanding abortion services.
Key Points:
- Kamala Harris on Abortion Rights: “The government should never come between a woman and her doctor. Never,” Harris said during a speech in Jacksonville, Florida, in May 2024. “This is a fight for freedom—the fundamental freedom to make decisions about one’s own body and have their government tell them what they’re supposed to do.” She’s been very vocal about where she stands. She has been a vocal advocate for expressing concerns about women’s healthcare after Roe v. Wade. “Following the Supreme Court’s unprincipled decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, states banned abortion altogether. This criminalization of basic, necessary reproductive health care has taken an incalculable toll on people’s lives. Since Roe was overturned, I have met women who were refused care during a miscarriage… only when she developed sepsis did she receive care.”
- Bodily Autonomy: Democrats emphasize that decisions regarding abortion should be made by women, guided by their doctors, without government intervention. Vice President Harris has been a vocal advocate, stating, “The government should never come between a woman and her doctor.”
- Healthcare Access: The Democratic platform highlights the need for safe access to abortion, particularly for low-income women and women of color, who are disproportionately affected by abortion restrictions.
- Legislative Action: The Biden-Harris administration has called for the passage of federal legislation to protect reproductive rights. They argue that state-level bans on abortion put women’s health at risk, particularly in cases of rape, incest, or life-threatening conditions.
Supporting Links:
Republican Stance: Pro-Life and State Rights
Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, holds a firm anti-abortion stance and supports more restrictive abortion laws. He played a crucial role in appointing three conservative justices to the Supreme Court, which led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. While Trump has expressed opposition to a national abortion ban, he believes that individual states should have the right to set their own abortion laws. His platform aligns with anti-abortion views and has pushed for bans at the state level, where under the Republican Party, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act makes the restriction that a woman cannot have an abortion after the 15-week mark. State-level laws have shown resentment due to the Roe v. Wade outcome of having the ultimate choice.
Recently, in 2023, Trump said “I wouldn’t sign a national abortion ban,” but later emphasized that it should be up to the states to decide. For example, Florida had a 6-week ban, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a 30% reduction of in clinical abortions in the month of May. He has encouraged states to make their laws as strict as possible and that “individual states and their cultures and their unique political sensibilities should make these decisions because we don’t want to have a nonstop federal conflict over this issue,” Vance said. He has always made claims that he will propose the traditional values of life and be more pro-life than pro-choice like Democrats. He has made public statements that he’ll always push for pro-life policies, and once he is in office, he will make federal and state policies much stricter. The Republican Party has always advocated for a pro-life view on abortion, where it’s a crime to end a life being very conservative and having a Christian ideology.
Key Points:
- Donald Trump on Abortion: “I am pro-life. I hate the concept of abortion,” Trump declared during a previous interview, emphasizing his support for more restrictive state-level abortion laws.
- State Control: Trump has emphasized that abortion policy should be determined at the state level, stating, “Alabama is going to make a different decision from California, and that’s OK”.
- Pro-Life Ideology: Trump has consistently promoted a pro-life platform, arguing that the rights of unborn children should be protected under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
- Defunding Planned Parenthood: Trump has pledged to defund organizations like Planned Parenthood as long as they continue to offer abortion services.
Supporting Links:
- Politico Coverage on Trump and Abortion Policy
- Guttmacher Institute Data on State-Level Abortion Restrictions
The Diverging Paths of 2024
The 2024 presidential election presents two vastly different approaches to abortion rights. On one side, the Democratic Party continues to advocate for a woman’s right to choose, pushing for federal protections to ensure access to safe and legal abortion services. On the other side, the Republican Party, led by Donald Trump, supports pro-life policies, advocating for states to impose stricter abortion laws and protecting what they view as the rights of the unborn. As voters head to the polls, abortion remains a pivotal issue that will influence the direction of reproductive rights in America for years to come.
