Published 15:01 IST, October 16th 2019
Kamala Harris accuses candidates for ignoring abortion rights
Senator Kamala Harris allegedly accused Democratic Presidential candidates and debate moderators of failing to prioritise the discussion of abortion rights
In a debate organised by an international media channel, the United States Senator, Kamala Harris allegedly accused Democratic Presidential candidates and debate moderators of failing to prioritise the discussion of abortion rights. She reportedly claimed that none of the presidential candidates spoke a word even after all the discussions about women's access to reproductive healthcare. She further also adds, that there are states that have passed laws that virtually prevent women from having access to reproductive healthcare.
'Her body, her decision'
Harris claims that abortion access is a fundamental issue and does not give any other person the right to tell them what to do with their bodies. “It is her body. It is her right. It is her decision”, she added. She also claims that it is no exaggeration to say that women will die because of the Republican legislatures in the various states, as people who are out of touch with America are telling what women can do with their bodies. Harris also claims that she would have protected the abortion rights by having the Justice Department review laws to ensure they are legal before they can take effect.
#AskAboutAbortion
In 2016, the reproductive justice activist Renee Bracey Sherman had also started with the hashtag #AskAboutAbortion because the issue was not getting enough attention in debates at the time. The reproductive rights did reportedly get substantive discussion in a debate in June but at subsequent debates, the issues got much less attention. It was reported that in the third debate which was held in September, reproductive rights were not mentioned at all. After Harris's comments, Senator Cory Booker also claimed that women should not be the only ones taking up this cause. People deserve to control their own bodies, he added.
Updated 16:04 IST, October 16th 2019