Kamala Harris Takes Center Stage as Advocate for Abortion Rights Ahead of 2024 Elections

[Social Media]

 

Vice President Kamala Harris has positioned herself as a prominent spokesperson for abortion rights, a pivotal issue that the Biden administration aims to emphasize in the upcoming 2024 election cycle. Despite earlier challenges in her tenure, Harris has refocused her efforts on reproductive rights, particularly after the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision that curtailed the constitutional right to abortion.

 

Harris has embarked on a nationwide tour to engage with activists, providers, and women affected by abortion bans, spanning across red, blue, and swing states. Her proactive approach has garnered support, with Democratic strategists acknowledging her ability to connect with the public's sentiments following the Roe v. Wade overturn.

 

Reproductive rights have been a consistent focus for Harris throughout her political career, earning endorsements from pro-abortion groups during her tenure as California attorney general and maintaining strong ties with these organizations. In her 2019 presidential campaign, Harris pledged to enhance federal safeguards around abortion access, requiring restrictive states to seek clearance from the Justice Department for new abortion laws.

 

The Biden administration's messaging ahead of the 2024 election has centered on the perceived threat a Republican administration poses to reproductive rights and personal freedoms. Harris, as a key figure in this narrative, is expected to play a crucial role in rallying support for the administration's stance on abortion rights.

 

Harris's nationwide tour, starting in Wisconsin, aims to spotlight the impact of extreme abortion bans and hold those proposing national bans accountable. She will call on Congress to restore Roe protections and outline the administration's steps to safeguard healthcare access. Democratic strategists believe Harris will be a valuable asset on the campaign trail, particularly in engaging with young voters and voters of color.

 

The vice president's long-standing relationships with pro-abortion activist groups and her consistent record on abortion contribute to her credibility on the issue. This is especially relevant considering President Biden's evolving views on abortion, having initially expressed skepticism about Roe v. Wade and previously supporting the Hyde Amendment.

Reproductive Freedom for All, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and EMILY's List—all major abortion rights groups—endorsed Biden and Harris for reelection in June. Harris's authenticity and comfort in addressing diverse audiences, notably young black women and reproductive freedom advocates, have resonated positively.

 

Even Republicans have acknowledged Harris's effectiveness in tying broader messaging about the Biden agenda back to reproductive rights. While opinions on policy views may differ, Harris's impactful messaging is recognized, making her a formidable figure in advocating for abortion rights leading up to the 2024 elections.

 

23.01.24

Source

 

[Hanaguma]

I can't wait for Harris to give us her 'talking to a 5 year old child' explanation of abortion...

 

"An abortion is when a woman doesn't want a baby. So she goes to a doctor and tells him. Then, the doctor helps her. So she won't have the baby then! That's an abortion!"

 

and then look around as if she has said something profound.  She wants women to think about what can be, unburdened by what has been.

[sirineou]

4 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

I can't wait for Harris to give us her 'talking to a 5 year old child' explanation of abortion...

So why don't you give us your 5 year old level of explanation? 

I love republicans, they want goverment out of our lives, 

except in the issues they are interested. . like our bedrooms, reproductive rights. end of life issues, sexuality. etc.

Please post a link to your source of your quote .Or did you just made it up? 

[Hanaguma]

2 minutes ago, sirineou said:

So why don't you give us your 5 year old level of explanation? 

I love republicans, they want goverment out of our lives, 

except in the issues they are interested. . like our bedrooms, reproductive rights. end of life issues, sexuality. etc.

Please post a link to your source of your quote .Or did you just made it up? 

Oh, I absolutely made it up. That is why I said "I can't wait". Pure speculation. But given her track record on 'explaining' things to people, I stand by it.  

[impulse]

45 minutes ago, sirineou said:

I love republicans, they want goverment out of our lives, 

except in the issues they are interested. . like our bedrooms, reproductive rights. end of life issues, sexuality. etc.

 

I don't know.  I'm kinda glad the gub'ment stands in the way of infanticide and child molesting.  The difference of opinion is when the rights of the infant begin.  Generally, Repubs just seem to feel that human rights begin earlier in the womb.  

 

[Chomper Higgot]

3 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I don't know.  I'm kinda glad the gub'ment stands in the way of infanticide and child molesting.  The difference of opinion is when the rights of the infant begin.  Generally, Repubs just seem to feel that human rights begin earlier in the womb.  

 

And stop once the baby is delivered. 
 

 

Edited January 23 by Chomper Higgot

[sirineou]

8 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I don't know.  I'm kinda glad the gub'ment stands in the way of infanticide and child molesting.  The difference of opinion is when the rights of the infant begin.  Generally, Repubs just seem to feel that human rights begin earlier in the womb.  

 

So you only want goverment to meddle in the issues you are interested in, in all others they need to stay away from? 

I am not going to argues abortion rights with you, the subject has been done to death , 

No one is for abortion!! We are for choice with in pre-described limits. 

Edited January 23 by sirineou

[300sd]

She's advocate for abortion rights. That should help. Why not just make her the czar.

[thaibeachlovers]

I hope someone asks her why she never managed to do anything about the southern border, and if she failed there, why she feels she can do better on abortion.

 

Anyway, what is her stance on it- free abortions for everyone perhaps?

I think there are too many people on the planet, so I'm all for free abortions on demand, no questions asked, but I'd prefer free condoms or Depo injections instead.

 

I really don't get the American obsession with abortion. NZ had an election last year and I doubt the subject even came up.

 

 

[Tug]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I hope someone asks her why she never managed to do anything about the southern border, and if she failed there, why she feels she can do better on abortion.

 

Anyway, what is her stance on it- free abortions for everyone perhaps?

I think there are too many people on the planet, so I'm all for free abortions on demand, no questions asked, but I'd prefer free condoms or Depo injections instead.

 

I really don't get the American obsession with abortion. NZ had an election last year and I doubt the subject even came up.

 

 

Don’t be frightened about our border you are 6500 miles away lol 😂 anyway the ball is in the republicans court on the border perhaps you should take it up with them…..and yup the lady folk are absolutely livid about the republicans stripping them over there right to control their own bodies yup lots of us guys to…..pretty simple 

[Hanaguma]

11 minutes ago, Tug said:

Don’t be frightened about our border you are 6500 miles away lol 😂 anyway the ball is in the republicans court on the border perhaps you should take it up with them…..and yup the lady folk are absolutely livid about the republicans stripping them over there right to control their own bodies yup lots of us guys to…..pretty simple 

You know, most Americans would be content (if not overjoyed) with restrictions on abortion similar to those in many European countries- most allow abortions up to 12 weeks into the pregnancy. What's wrong with that? 

[candide]

15 hours ago, Hanaguma said:

I can't wait for Harris to give us her 'talking to a 5 year old child' explanation of abortion...

 

"An abortion is when a woman doesn't want a baby. So she goes to a doctor and tells him. Then, the doctor helps her. So she won't have the baby then! That's an abortion!"

 

and then look around as if she has said something profound.  She wants women to think about what can be, unburdened by what has been.

Sure! It's Kamala Harris who should be distinguished for her way of explaining things!

Oh wait! 😃

 

“They go ‘missile launched!’ and you hear a bell go, I mean I see this, it’s so incredible,” he said, then praised the “geniuses” who respond to the bell to stop the missiles.

“These are not muscle guys here,” he said, pointing to his arm. Then, he pointed to his head and said, “They’re muscle guys up here.”

Trump went into sound-effect mode as he described the action:

“Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! They’ve only got 17 seconds to figure this whole thing out, right? Boom, OK. Missile launch, pssshng, poom! It’s the most ― and we don’t have it here!”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trumps-attempt-describe-missile-defense-095714061.html

 

[thaicurious]

1 hour ago, Hanaguma said:

You know, most Americans would be content (if not overjoyed) with restrictions on abortion similar to those in many European countries- most allow abortions up to 12 weeks into the pregnancy. What's wrong with that? 

I enjoyed a few hours decades ago with Sarah Weddington*, who I'd been chatting with after her lecture when we were asked to be seated so I wound up her dinner partner for the evening. Super impressive lady. We got along great. She died right before her SCOTUS win was overturned. Harris began her current pro-choice campaign on the 51st anniversary of Weddington's initial win with Roe.

 

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Weddington

"...American attorney ... best known for representing "Jane Roe" (real name Norma McCorvey) in the landmark Roe v. Wade case before the United States Supreme Court."

 

I don't know if I'd be able to make such a decision for myself were I woman, I do think this a woman's not a man's decision (were votes so cast), and am glad to be a gay man with the best of both worlds, capable of enjoying men as determined by my orientation & to the extent of my preferences without any pregnancy concerns whatsoever.

 

As to what most Americans think, here's Gallup poll from July 2023:

 

https://news.gallup.com/poll/321143/americans-stand-abortion.aspx

"When asked about the legality of abortion at different stages of pregnancy, about two-thirds of Americans say it should be legal in the first trimester (69%), while support drops to 37% for the second trimester and 22% for the third. Majorities oppose abortion being legal in the second (55%) and third (70%) trimesters.

 

In line with Americans’ broad support for first-trimester abortions, the majority oppose laws that would “ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around the sixth week of pregnancy.” Also, 63% favor allowing the abortion pill mifepristone to be available in the U.S. as a prescription drug...

 

In line with Americans wanting abortion to be legal to some degree, 61% currently say that overturning Roe v. Wade was a “bad thing,” while 38% call it a “good thing.” Those views are similar to what Gallup measured in 2022, when asking about Roe hypothetically being overturned, as well as more than 30 years of trends showing opposition to overturning Roe."

 

My own view is that the existing woman in her existing life is sovereign over her own existing out of the womb body and that no soul (for lack of a better term) on this side of the womb or that has rights over her life. None.

 

So to me, her health always comes first regardless of trimester. That doesn't mean I'd want some crazy lady ripping out her own 8 month old fetus onto the curb while I'm enjoying coffee and croissant at a sidewalk cafe so I certainly can see some restrictions after viability but not while its life depends entirely upon hers for its own.

 

Generally, to me, there is no inherent right to life, but a privilege bearer bestowed.

 

Her life, her body, her decision. Your privilege is not her obligation; it is by her grace alone that you are born into the world. Thank your mother.

[Hanaguma]

7 hours ago, candide said:

Sure! It's Kamala Harris who should be distinguished for her way of explaining things!

Oh wait! 😃

 

“They go ‘missile launched!’ and you hear a bell go, I mean I see this, it’s so incredible,” he said, then praised the “geniuses” who respond to the bell to stop the missiles.

“These are not muscle guys here,” he said, pointing to his arm. Then, he pointed to his head and said, “They’re muscle guys up here.”

Trump went into sound-effect mode as he described the action:

“Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! They’ve only got 17 seconds to figure this whole thing out, right? Boom, OK. Missile launch, pssshng, poom! It’s the most ― and we don’t have it here!”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trumps-attempt-describe-missile-defense-095714061.html

 

Ah, yes!  The "b-b-but Trump..." comes out in full force. Neither the former Pres nor missile defence are the topics here. Nice try though. 

 

The current VP has made a name for herself by being one of the worst public speakers, constantly repeating odious bromides, and talking down to those who are listening.  

[Hanaguma]

7 hours ago, thaicurious said:

I enjoyed a few hours decades ago with Sarah Weddington*, who I'd been chatting with after her lecture when we were asked to be seated so I wound up her dinner partner for the evening. Super impressive lady. We got along great. She died right before her SCOTUS win was overturned. Harris began her current pro-choice campaign on the 51st anniversary of Weddington's initial win with Roe.

 

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Weddington

"...American attorney ... best known for representing "Jane Roe" (real name Norma McCorvey) in the landmark Roe v. Wade case before the United States Supreme Court."

 

I don't know if I'd be able to make such a decision for myself were I woman, I do think this a woman's not a man's decision (were votes so cast), and am glad to be a gay man with the best of both worlds, capable of enjoying men as determined by my orientation & to the extent of my preferences without any pregnancy concerns whatsoever.

 

As to what most Americans think, here's Gallup poll from July 2023:

 

https://news.gallup.com/poll/321143/americans-stand-abortion.aspx

"When asked about the legality of abortion at different stages of pregnancy, about two-thirds of Americans say it should be legal in the first trimester (69%), while support drops to 37% for the second trimester and 22% for the third. Majorities oppose abortion being legal in the second (55%) and third (70%) trimesters.

 

In line with Americans’ broad support for first-trimester abortions, the majority oppose laws that would “ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around the sixth week of pregnancy.” Also, 63% favor allowing the abortion pill mifepristone to be available in the U.S. as a prescription drug...

 

In line with Americans wanting abortion to be legal to some degree, 61% currently say that overturning Roe v. Wade was a “bad thing,” while 38% call it a “good thing.” Those views are similar to what Gallup measured in 2022, when asking about Roe hypothetically being overturned, as well as more than 30 years of trends showing opposition to overturning Roe."

 

My own view is that the existing woman in her existing life is sovereign over her own existing out of the womb body and that no soul (for lack of a better term) on this side of the womb or that has rights over her life. None.

 

So to me, her health always comes first regardless of trimester. That doesn't mean I'd want some crazy lady ripping out her own 8 month old fetus onto the curb while I'm enjoying coffee and croissant at a sidewalk cafe so I certainly can see some restrictions after viability but not while its life depends entirely upon hers for its own.

 

Generally, to me, there is no inherent right to life, but a privilege bearer bestowed.

 

Her life, her body, her decision. Your privilege is not her obligation; it is by her grace alone that you are born into the world. Thank your mother.

So, in other words, I was right. Thanks for posting the polling data. 

[thaicurious]

3 hours ago, Hanaguma said:

So, in other words, I was right. Thanks for posting the polling data. 

 

I doubt the data supports your "content" or "overjoyed" commentary at all correct or ever appropriate.

 

If your only concern was being right on the weeks, then close but no cigar. You said “up to 12 weeks” But a trimester lasts up to 14 weeks, as pregnancies are not precise, being 9 months more or less. Some clinics define first trimester as 14 weeks. Here’s the Cleveland Clinic at 13:

 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9699-first-trimester

Pregnancy has three trimesters or stages. Each trimester is about 13 weeks or three months long. A full-term pregnancy lasts 40 weeks or between nine and 10 months.

 

Also, per April 2023 data printed here “https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/support-for-abortion-rights-has-grown-in-spite-of-bans-and-restrictions-poll-shows “ a growing number of Americans — 34 percent — think abortion should be allowed at least up until the first six months of pregnancy, if not throughout the entire pregnancy. That support has more than doubled since May 2009, when 14 percent of Americans felt that way”

 

So to be fair, the July 2023 Gallup polling data shows 69% want abortion legal for the first trimester which is minimally at the end of 12^th week up to & including the 14^th week depending on criteria used. And those weeks of majority approval might be increased (I don’t have the precise data yet at hand) to x degree by including the 37% who approve into the 2^nd trimester or the 34% approving up to the first 6 months, with I’d assume more approving earlier on into the 2nd trimester than later, which could add a few additional weeks to absolute majority approval of full legality, possibly extending beyond even 14 weeks to something more like 4 months, further eroding the accuracy of your “up to 12 weeks” statement.

Edited January 24 by thaicurious

[thaibeachlovers]

IMO if Americans put as much effort into preventing pregnancy as they do into abortion, likely there would be little need for abortions at all.

[impulse]

I wonder if they even asked the pro-choice people if they wanted Harris speaking for their side?

 

Given a choice, I sure wouldn't.  She's a walking, talking disaster.

 

[Chomper Higgot]

6 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

IMO if Americans put as much effort into preventing pregnancy as they do into abortion, likely there would be little need for abortions at all.

The anti choice lobby is also the anti sex education lobby.

[Hanaguma]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The anti choice lobby is also the anti sex education lobby.

Not anti choice at all. There are several choices available: abstinence, contraception, adoption, motherhood. You just have to remember that, any time you have sex, there is a chance that a pregnancy will result. Unless one of the partners is infertile. 

[candide]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The anti choice lobby is also the anti sex education lobby.

They are also against helping single mothers, if I remember well....

[Chomper Higgot]

8 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

Not anti choice at all. There are several choices available: abstinence, contraception, adoption, motherhood. You just have to remember that, any time you have sex, there is a chance that a pregnancy will result. Unless one of the partners is infertile. 

Oh see.

 

You support choice so so long as you dictate the choices that are available.

 

Gotchya!

[Hanaguma]

53 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Oh see.

 

You support choice so so long as you dictate the choices that are available.

 

Gotchya!

You think those aren't valid choices? The only choice I am not a fan of is killing pre-born babies under a variety of circumstances. 

[Chomper Higgot]

48 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

You think those aren't valid choices? The only choice I am not a fan of is killing pre-born babies under a variety of circumstances. 

Why do you think you should have a say in the matter?

 

 

[Hanaguma]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Why do you think you should have a say in the matter?

 

 

People have a say in most social issues, particularly ones where innocent lives are involved.  Personally, I think fathers should have a say as well. After all, it is THEIR baby too.

[placeholder]

1 minute ago, Hanaguma said:

People have a say in most social issues, particularly ones where innocent lives are involved.  Personally, I think fathers should have a say as well. After all, it is THEIR baby too.

And when I think of how many fathers have died during childbirth and from complications of pregnancy, it just makes me so mad that they don't get the final say.

[Chomper Higgot]

9 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

People have a say in most social issues, particularly ones where innocent lives are involved.  Personally, I think fathers should have a say as well. After all, it is THEIR baby too.

People who on one hand argue about getting the government out of their lives need a better explanation than that when arguing for the Government to deny others dominion over their own bodies.

 

 

[Hanaguma]

48 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

People who on one hand argue about getting the government out of their lives need a better explanation than that when arguing for the Government to deny others dominion over their own bodies.

 

 

Their own bodies, sure. The unborn living temporarily inside, not so much.  That is why we frown on pregnant women smoking, drinking, doing drugs, etc- because of the harm to the unborn baby inside them.  If it was just a clump of cells, why would anyone care? 

[Chomper Higgot]

16 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

Their own bodies, sure. The unborn living temporarily inside, not so much.  That is why we frown on pregnant women smoking, drinking, doing drugs, etc- because of the harm to the unborn baby inside them.  If it was just a clump of cells, why would anyone care? 

You can frown all you like.

 

Frowning is not taking control of someone else’s body nor is it an excuse to do so.

[thaicurious]

I suspect the fundamentalist views on abortion are less about their being offended by the fate of a fetus (though that's their claim) -- so much so that some of them today would consider even a documented medical miscarriage to be a criminal fault of the woman* -- and more about their being offended that in pregnancy women get to play (their version of) God (a major threat to patriarchy), to bring within themselves the creation of new born life or to disrupt that biological process be that by will or not.

 

There was a time when it seemed normal to religious fundamentalists to complain about masturbation, that it was the murder, they'd even claim, of future generations. So the fascist anti-choice movement (this attempt to control the lives of others) is nothing new; we've seen this before...

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_on_masturbation#:~:text=Today%2C Roman Catholic (including Eastern,masturbation as not a sin.

"...Today, Roman Catholic (including Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and some Protestant Christians consider masturbation to be a sin...

...procreative accent of the Hebrew interpretation regarding sexuality, where survival of the tribe depends on abundant procreation. The story was written by a "prescientific mind" that considered the child to be contained in the sperm the same way a plant is contained in its seed...

...Matthew 5:29–30, Matt. 18:6–9, and Mark 9:42–48 state that, if they cause one to sin, one should tear out one's eye and cut off one's hand or foot. Will Deming states "The sinning by eye, hand, and foot may come from a tradition of formulaic warnings against lustful gazing (by the eye), masturbation (by hand)...

...Greek-Egyptian Church Father Clement of Alexandria ... Seed should not be sown on rocky ground nor scattered everywhere, for it is the primary substance of generation and contains imbedded [sic] in itself the principle of nature. It is undeniably godless...

...The Coptic Orthodox Church views masturbation as a sin because it is regarded as a "form of sexual pleasure outside of God's design..." etc. etc. etc.

 

* https://www.npr.org/2022/07/03/1109015302/abortion-prosecuting-pregnancy-loss

"Losing a pregnancy could land you in jail in post-Roe America ...

Chelsea Becker spent 16 months in a California jail awaiting a murder trial after her pregnancy ended in a stillbirth ...

Prosecuting pregnancy loss has been a quiet, but upward trend across the nation...

Twenty percent of pregnancies in the U.S. end in a loss, according to Kliman, who has worked as an expert witness with NAPW on several cases. He says over 90% of these losses are caused by genetic abnormalities, which are often undiagnosed..." (bolding mine)