Vice President Kamala Harris released a new campaign ad on Thursday taking Donald Trump to task after he praised himself for upending the right to an abortion.
The commercial, titled “Wanted,” is the second post-debate ad from the campaign, and is almost entirely composed of the back-and-forth between the candidates on the issue from the recent presidential debate. The Harris-Walz campaign said the commercial would be aired on broadcast and cable TV in battleground states as part of a $370 million ad blitz.
“For 52 years, they've been trying to get Roe v. Wade into the states. I did a great service in doing it. It took courage to do it, and the Supreme Court had great courage in doing it,” Trump says in the spot.
Harris replies, “Pregnant women who want to carry a pregnancy to term, suffering from a miscarriage, being denied care in an emergency room because the health care providers are afraid they might go to jail. And she's bleeding out in a car in the parking lot. She didn't want that. Her husband didn't want that.”
Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that affirmed the right to an abortion, was overturned in the 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Three of the six conservative justices who ruled against abortion rights were appointed by Trump.
The decision triggered legislation passed in the states by Republican legislators that have severely restricted and in some instances completely outlawed abortion rights.
Trump has tried to avoid blame for the decision’s consequences while also shoring up political support from anti-choice groups who are vital to his electoral prospects.
His stated position, which is the current regime of abortion restrictions, is out of touch with popular opinion and sentiment. Voters have repeatedly reaffirmed their support for abortion rights in multiple elections, while pro-choice candidates have won election to public office touting support for abortion rights.
In 2024, 10 states will have abortion-related ballot measures up for a vote.
Harris, along with President Joe Biden, has expressed support for federal legislation that would codify Roe in federal law. She has pledged to sign legislation restoring reproductive freedom as part of her “New Way Forward” policy agenda.
The public overwhelmingly supports Harris’ position over Trump’s. A July poll from Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 7 in 10 Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. An additional 8 out of 10 of respondents said they oppose a federal law banning abortion, which has been proposed by some congressional Republicans.
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