Where Trump, Harris stand on abortion rights
Abortion reshapes the swing state landscape
A revealing new study sheds light on how abortion and reproductive rights are shaping the race in six crucial swing states. In North Carolina, a stunning admission about abortion has shaken up the governor's race - we'll explore what it means for the presidential contest. Plus, the battle for rural voters heats up as Republicans aim to expand their lead in less populated regions.
Abortion access and reproductive rights remain crucial issues as the November presidential election nears.
Around 6 in 10 Americans think their state should generally allow a person to obtain a legal abortion if they don't want to be pregnant for any reason, according to a July poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
That number is even higher for women of reproductive age. An August survey from KFF, a nonprofit policy research center, found that 70% of reproductive age women support a nationwide right to abortion – something American women haven’t had since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
More than half of U.S. states have banned abortion or restricted the procedure in early pregnancy since the Supreme Court ruling.
RELATED: Abortion access 2024: Here’s where the laws stand in your state
Vice President Kamala Harris has vowed to pressure Congress into passing federal abortion protections that she can sign into law, while former President Donald Trump says he believes the issue should be left up to the states.
Here’s where Harris and Trump stand on abortion rights.
Where Trump stands on abortion rights
Trump has wavered on his abortion stances this campaign cycle, but has ultimately leaned on abortion being a state’s right.
Trump’s states-based narrative is among his attempts to appear more moderate on abortion rights, which have emerged as one of the GOP’s greatest vulnerabilities heading into November.
During the presidential debate, Trump falsely claimed that some states permit abortions after birth, a claim he has repeated several times. In reality, infanticide is criminalized in every state, and no state has passed a law allowing such a practice.
RELATED: Trump repeats false claims on late-term abortions during presidential debate
He has said he would not sign a national abortion ban into law if one landed on his desk and recently said he would not try to block access to abortion medication. He told Time magazine that it should also be left up to states to determine whether to prosecute women for abortions or to monitor their pregnancies.
But Trump repeatedly declined to say during the presidential debate if he would veto a national abortion ban if he were elected again — and he repeatedly took credit for appointing the three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn the constitutional right to abortion.
RELATED: More women got tubal ligations after Roe v. Wade was overturned
He has also said that, if he wins, he wants to make IVF treatment free for women.
Where Harris stands on abortion rights
The vice president has made abortion rights a cornerstone of her campaign and called on Congress to pass legislation guaranteeing abortion access nationwide, a right that stood for nearly 50 years before being overturned by the Supreme Court.
RELATED: Judge strikes down North Dakota's abortion ban
Like Biden, Harris has criticized bans on abortion in Republican-controlled states and promised as president to block any potential nationwide ban should one clear a future GOP-run Congress.
Harris was the Democrats' most visible champion of abortion rights even while Biden was still in the race. She has promoted the administration's efforts short of federal law — including steps to protect women who travel to access the procedure and limit how law enforcement collects medical records.