Arizona made headlines last week when the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of the enforcement of an 1864 law which makes the act of performing an abortion a felony. The law does not provide exceptions for cases of incest or rape, only allowing for abortions if the woman’s life is in danger.The ruling has sparked a significant political debate with political figures such as former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris voicing their opinions on the matter.
On a recent trip to Atlanta, Trump was questioned by reporters on the new Arizona abortion ruling and he responded by criticizing the ruling saying that it went too far. He commented, “I’m sure that the governor and everybody else are going to bring it back into consideration, and that will be taken care of, I think, very quickly.” Caroline Yates, a politically unaffiliated junior at Millbrook, agrees that Arizona did take it too far with the ruling, although she agrees the power should remain with the states, not the federal government.
In response to the ruling, Vice President Kamala Harris, who is campaigning in Arizona, blamed Trump for the restrictive access. She said, “We all must understand who is to blame, former President Donald Trump did this.” She then spoke on his 2016 campaign where Trump suggested that if a woman were to seek an abortion they should be subject to “some form of punishment.” He clarified this statement, later explaining that he meant “the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman.” Yates comments that Harris “…does not have enough evidence that Trump is setting up a whole dilemma, she’s just stating her opinion.”
Harris also believes “…a second Trump term would be even worse… he will sign a national abortion ban.” However after a public speech with speaker Mike Johnson, Trump claimed he would not sign a federal abortion ban, a strategic move since the topic of abortion would hurt him and other Republicans in this year’s elections. He further added, “We don’t need it any longer. Because we broke Roe v. Wade, and we did something that nobody thought was possible,” Trump said. “We gave it back to the states. And the states are working very brilliantly, in some cases conservative, in some cases not conservative. But they’re working and it’s working the way it’s supposed to.”
With presidential elections coming up, Trump’s comments are affecting some of his more conservative voters. President of the anti-abortion group, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Marjorie Dannenfelser claims that Trump not signing a federal abortion ban actually jeopardizes the states rights and proves Democrats right. “Unborn children and their mothers deserve national protections and national advocacy from the brutality of the abortion industry.”
Though Trump believes in state power and states’ ability to figure a less restrictive approach, Harris stands on her belief that Trump is the one to blame. As presidential elections come about, voters are now questioning the federal and state power governments have over abortion laws.
