US presidential election: Divisive issue of abortion rights in the spotlight once again

PHOENIX, Arizona: Some of the United States’ most visceral election battles are being fought in the car parks of abortion clinics across the country. 
At a Planned Parenthood clinic in the swing state of Arizona, a handful of women gather every Wednesday – conservative Christians who believe abortion should be banned in all circumstances, including incest and rape. 
Holding placards that read “Babies lives matter” and “You don’t have to do this today”, they shout messages at patients, trying to stop them from getting an abortion. They are banned from crossing a yellow line at the clinic’s entrance.
When patients arrive, chaperones quickly usher them inside while a speaker blasting music drowns out the campaigners. 
Both sides hope the loudest voice is the one that could sway the Nov 5 presidential election – and the future of women’s reproductive health.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, has made reproductive rights a cornerstone of her campaign. The Republicans are treading a more careful line, aiming to appeal to more conservative and anti-abortion factions.
In 2022, the conservative-majority US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, ending 50 years of the constitutional right to an abortion.
The landmark decision meant that women who do not wish to carry their pregnancy to full term might run afoul of the law in some US states.
Access now varies depending on where a woman is. 
Nearly half of the 50 American states have total bans or severe restrictions in place, such as Alabama and Louisiana, while others protect abortion throughout pregnancy.
“Some states, including Arizona, passed personhood laws. Those laws state that a foetus at any stage of development has the same rights and protections under the constitution as anyone residing in the state,” said abortion access advocate and filmmaker Civia Tamarkin.
If a foetus is considered a person under the law, that poses serious implications for contraception and in-vitro fertilisation.
It could even criminalise women and medical professionals involved in the process, with some doctors choosing to train and work in other states instead.
On the campaign trail, Harris and her running mate Tim Walz have become the most pro-choice in US history.
Harris has said she wants to restore Roe v Wade, which protects women’s rights to an abortion up until the time of foetal viability – about 22 to 24 weeks. She has also backed changes to Senate procedure to pass federal legislation protecting abortion rights.
In contrast, former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump boasts about overturning Roe v Wade, saying it is only right that individual states decide on their own abortion access. He has said he will not allow a national ban.
About two weeks ago, Trump’s wife Melania publicly backed women’s rights to choose, putting her at odds with her husband. She shared her pro-choice stance in her newly released memoir.
Trump himself has been accused of flip-flopping on the issue.
On Tuesday (Oct 15), he said during a townhall event hosted by Fox News that some states restricting abortion rights are being “too tough” and will be “redone”. He also said anti-abortion supporters make up only “a very small percentage” of the US.
Along with choosing the next president this November, Arizonians will also vote on whether to change the state’s constitution.
Proposition 139 seeks to amend the Arizona Constitution to allow abortions up to foetal viability – much later than the current 15-week limit in the state.
“They’re complex medical situations, and the only people who can make those decisions is the patient, their family and the doctor,” said Gabrielle Goodrick, owner and medical director of abortion clinic Camelback Family Planning.
“The last thing you need is a politician sitting in the room, telling you what to do, when they have no idea what they’re talking about,” she added.
Abortion providers in Arizona have warned that marginalised communities are disproportionately affected by restrictive laws.
Data from the state’s health department shows that Latina women, a crucial group in the electorate, made up 45 per cent of abortions in 2022.
Research has shown that more than 60 per cent of those seeking abortions are people of colour and about half live in poverty.
That hit home recently for Morgan Finkelstein, who found out some years ago that one of her twins in utero had a congenital heart defect.
The Arizona resident was advised to get a selective reduction – a procedure to reduce the number of foetuses in a multiple pregnancy.
Unable to get such a procedure in her own state, she was forced to travel to neighbouring California. She later gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
“I realised how many women probably couldn’t have shelled out US$9,000 and travelled across … state lines and accessed the care that they needed,” she told CNA.
When asked if she thinks other women will not have to go through a similar experience if Harris is elected, Finkelstein responded: “I believe her when she says that she wants to protect women and she wants to restore abortion rights.”
As the fight goes on about when life begins and who gets to decide this, the next US president will inherit a nation deeply divided over reproductive rights – with neither side willing to back down over what some say is a matter of life and death.