Women imperilled by abortion bans take center stage at the Democratic National Convention on 19 August 2024
Image: Hadley Duvall from Kentucky
It was one of the opening night’s most dramatic and sober moments. Three women emerged on the main stage, each in a spotlight against the darkness. Amanda Zurawski, standing beside her husband, told of how she nearly died when she learned her baby would not survive and she could not get abortion care in Texas. Kaitlyn Joshua spoke of bleeding, miscarrying and being turned away from two emergency rooms in Louisiana. Hadley Duvall of Kentucky told a harrowing story of being impregnated by her stepfather at age 12. “He [Trump] calls it ‘a beautiful thing,’” she said, quoting Donald Trump’s praise for states that have enacted strict abortion bans. “What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parent’s child?”
Audible gasps punctured the silence of the arena. Women wiped away tears. Next to her husband, Gwen Walz (wife of the Vice-Presidential nominee) shook her head in apparent horror, trying to take it all in. And when the testimonies were finished, the arena rose to its feet in support.
SOURCE: Maine Morning Star, by Elisha Brown, 20 August 2024. The three women’s stories to the Convention can be found in this report. PHOTO: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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The most powerful moment of the Democratic National Convention so far…
From a rousing, passing-of-the-torch speech from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to a career-defining address from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, it was women — both the child-free and the moms — who mostly defined Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention.
President Joe Biden’s keynote notwithstanding, it wasn’t a seasoned politician, former party leader or Hollywood A-lister who delivered the most moving moment of the evening. Because an hour before the president delivered his address, three ordinary women stole the show with their brave and — incredibly awful — stories of life in a post-Roe world.
I am forever grateful to Amanda Zurawski, Kaitlyn Joshua and Hadley Duvall. But I also look forward to the day when I never have to hear another story like theirs told publicly again.
SOURCE: MSNBC, by Danielle Campoamor, freelance journalist. 20 August 2024
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Beyond restoring Roe: Democrats see moment to ‘reimagine’ abortion rights
On the floor of the Convention, first night
The spotlight at the convention is a dramatic shift from just four years ago, another sign of how radically the politics of abortion have changed, and how much the party is relying on the issue to rally voters.
It was one of the opening night’s most dramatic and sober moments. Three women emerged on the main stage, each in a spotlight against the darkness.
Amanda Zurawski, standing beside her husband, told of how she nearly died when her baby would not survive and she could not get abortion care in Texas. Kaitlyn Joshua spoke of bleeding, miscarrying and being turned away from two emergency rooms in Louisiana. And Hadley Duvall of Kentucky told a harrowing story of being impregnated by her stepfather at age 12….
On the first night, the speakers focused heavily on the promise that Vice President Kamala Harris has made central to her campaign: codifying the protections once guaranteed by Roe into federal law, and to ‘reimagine’ abortion rights.
SOURCE: New York Times, by Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer, 20 August 2024. PHOTO above, by Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times
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Politico claims Kamala Harris only wants to restore Roe, which for many activists, is not enough… which is it?
Democrats have made restoring abortion access a cornerstone of their campaign for the White House and Congress, but there are divisions over what, exactly, that means.
Outside the Democratic National Convention, throngs of activists took to the streets Sunday night to call for “free abortion on demand” and argue that Roe v. Wade was an inadequate and even dangerous compromise that should not be revived.
Twenty-four hours later, party delegates voted to adopt a platform embracing the narrower return-to-Roe approach, favored by Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democratic Party leaders, which would allow states to ban abortions later in pregnancy.
Much of the abortion-rights movement embraced Harris’ candidacy the moment it was announced — praising her record as California attorney general, senator and vice president and expressing hope that she would move beyond President Joe Biden’s often hesitant advocacy and more moderate policy positions. But Harris has since clarified that she is sticking with Biden’s call to restore Roe, which protected abortion up to fetal viability and allowed mandatory waiting periods and targeted regulations on clinics that forced many to close.
The abortion-rights groups closest to Harris acknowledge the Roe framework is a politically pragmatic one, even if they want more. They note that Democrats in Congress are unlikely to have the votes to restore Roe or anything more sweeping — making the debate mostly symbolic — and say it’s important to give voters a familiar rallying cry. Even so, most of the advocates quoted in this article want more — because they see abortion as right and it is about rights.
SOURCE: Politico, by Alice Miranda Ollstein and Megan Messerly, 20 August 2024.
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Michelle Obama’s speech on the second night was an oratorial masterpiece
Michelle Obama understands the stakes in November. And she’s done pulling punches. The former first lady’s soaring speech at the Democratic convention took righteous swings at Trump while also delivering a message of hope.
The woman who so many people wanted to draft to run for president — the author and speaker who enchanted a whole generation of women and helped us understand where we belong in modern society — began her speech Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention talking about feelings.
Former first lady Michelle Obama spoke of the magical feeling in the air, the power of grief and the sense that as a country we can be better than what we have been.
Michelle talked us through the national trauma we experienced under former President Donald Trump — “the dimming of our light” and how Trump’s continued pursuit of power gives a “palpable sense of dread about our future.” And then she reminded us that hope is still alive.
Michelle reminded us that Vice President Kamala Harris’ story is “my story, our story,” and she’s right. Our mothers — mine in Pakistan, Michelle’s in Chicago, Kamala’s in India — vast oceans and cultures apart — had been single-minded in telling their daughters to “do something” and lift up the people around us.
Michelle gave us a way to heal and laugh, not by going low but by going in hard.
SOURCE: MSNBC, by Nayyera Haq, 21 August 2024. Listen to Michelle’s speech here.
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Pregnancy Justice has declared a fight against criminalization of pregnancy
What does Mr Trump have to offer in return? Pregnancy Justice reports: A 900 page document called Project 2025, described as a “blueprint for reshaping American society” that redefines “people” to give rights to fertilized eggs, embryos, and fetuses. Project 2025 also restricts access to reproductive health care severely, impacting abortion, birth control, and IVF. It threatens comprehensive sex education, data privacy, and the physical safety of anyone seeking care. The plan is a complete attack on reproductive freedom. And fetal personhood ideologies, like redefining “life” to start at “conception” or “fertilization,” means above all an increase in the surveillance and criminalization of pregnant people. If you’re pregnant, you could be civilly or criminally liable for any potential harm or even exposure to harm to your fetus – which they want to classify as an independent rights-bearing person. Here is a quote from it, in a nutshell:
SOURCE: Pregnancy Justice, E-mail 20 August 2024 and website call for support.