On the first night of their national convention, Democrats highlighted three stories of how abortion restrictions after Roe v. Wade was overturned had hurt women and couples, hoping to underscore the importance of reproductive rights in one of the most poignant presentations Monday night.
The message: Abortion bans put lives at risk.
Giving the stage over to one couple and two women who had experienced the harm of abortion hurdles in the prime-time window of the convention’s first night shows how important Democrats see the issue for Kamala Harris’ presidential race.
An Economist/YouGov poll taken from Aug. 11 to Aug. 13 found that 75% of respondents said abortion rights were “very” or “somewhat” important to them, with 81% of female respondents feeling that way.
Former President Donald Trump, who is campaigning while out on bail after his felony convictions in New York state, has said the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which tossed out Roe’s almost 50-year precedent, was good because it sent the issue of abortion to the states rather than preserving a national right.
But many states have enacted total or near-total bans on abortion, and others have made abortions conditional on medical diagnoses that the woman’s life is in danger, which in turn has led to women being denied treatment until they were close to dying.
“Because of Donald Trump, more than one in three women of reproductive age in America lives under an abortion ban. A second Trump term would rip away even more of our rights,” said Amanda Zurawski, who stood with her husband, Josh, on an otherwise darkened stage to discuss her experience in Texas.
“Passing a national abortion ban. Letting states monitor pregnancies and prosecute doctors. Restricting birth control and fertility treatment. We cannot let that happen. We need to vote as if lives depend on it. Because they do,” she said.
Josh Zurawski said the couple had been told “with 100% certainty” they would lose their baby, whom they had planned to name Willow, but had to wait for his wife to become sicker to get treated. In three days, he said, she developed a high fever, became disoriented and began shaking, and they returned to seek care.
“I don’t remember what I threw into our bag that day, only that instead of welcoming Willow, I was hoping Amanda’s life could be saved,” he said.
Kaitlyn Joshua, who was denied care in Louisiana, said she had to go to several medical facilities to confirm she was miscarrying.
“Two emergency rooms sent me away. Because of Louisiana’s abortion ban, no one would confirm that I was miscarrying. I was in pain, bleeding so much my husband feared for my life,” she said.
“No women should experience what I endured but too many have.”
Hadley Duvall of Kentucky, the third speaker, said she had been raped by her stepfather and became pregnant at the age of 12.
“I can’t imagine not having a choice. But today that’s the reality for many women and girls across the country because of Donald Trump’s abortion bans,” she said. Kentucky is listed as one of the 14 states that now have a total ban on abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Duvall, who appeared in a campaign ad for Democratic Gov. Andy Beshears’ reelection campaign in 2023, also took issue with Trump calling the loss of Roe v. Wade “a beautiful thing.”
To audible gasps in the audience, Duvall asked, “What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parent’s child?”