Where Harris and Trump stand on abortion access and reproductive rights

Two years ago, the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade made abortion access a top political issue across America. In the race for the White House, Laura Barrón-López has been following both candidates’ positions on reproductive rights.

Read the Full Transcript

Amna Nawaz: Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade made abortion access a top political issue across America and now in the race for the White House.

Our Laura Barron-Lopez has been covering both candidates’ positions on reproductive rights. She joins me now.

Good to see you, Laura.

Laura Barron-Lopez: Good to be here.

Amna Nawaz: So, start with the national landscape for us here. Where do the bans and restrictions currently stand nationwide?

Laura Barron-Lopez: Right now, across the country, 13 states total, Amna, have abortion bans with very few exceptions.

Now, after that, four — there are four states that have bans at six weeks and three other states ban abortions after 12 or 15 weeks. And the majority of those states are in the Deep South, including swing states like Georgia and North Carolina.

Amna Nawaz: OK. So that’s where we are now.

When it comes to the candidates, walk us through it. Where does Vice President Harris stand on this issue?

Laura Barron-Lopez: Harris became the face of abortion rights for the Biden administration, and she was the first sitting vice president believed to have visited an abortion clinic during this administration.

Now, when it comes to her positions on abortion, here’s what she wants to do. She wants to restore the federal right to an abortion that was first established under Roe v. Wade. She wants to protect abortion access until fetal viability, which is generally considered to be around 23 to 24 weeks. And she supports ending the filibuster to pass federal protections for abortion.

The reality though, Amna, is that it’s highly unlikely that Vice President Harris would have enough votes in the Senate to pass — to end the filibuster and to pass legislation like that.

But Harris made her pitch to Latino voters on this issue in a town hall last night.

Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States (D) and U.S. Presidential Candidate: There are probably many people here and watching who rightly have made a decision that they do not believe in abortion.

The point that I’m making is not about changing their mind about what’s right for them or their family. It’s simply saying the government shouldn’t be making this decision.

Laura Barron-Lopez: Amna, Harris has made abortion rights one of the biggest issues in her campaign this year and is hoping that it helps her in a number of the swing states.

Amna Nawaz: OK, so that’s where Vice President Harris stands. What about her opponent, former President Trump?

Laura Barron-Lopez: When running in 2016, Donald Trump said that you have to ban abortion.

Now let’s dive into his record and current positions, Amna. In 2016, he also said there has to be some form of punishment for women who get abortions. And, in 2016, he ran on appointing Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe.

Now, since then, the former president has said that he would veto a 15-week national abortion ban, despite the fact that multiple Republicans and the anti-abortion movement support a national ban. And Donald Trump has said he would allow states to restrict abortion access.

Now, Donald Trump, as he’s been running, has also said that states with bans have a right to monitor pregnancies and prosecute violations. The former president is also open to restricting abortion pill access like mifepristone. And then, finally, Project 2025 calls for a nationwide abortion ban.

And we mention Project 2025, Amna, because so many of the people that wrote that and women that are calling for that served in the first Trump administration and are likely to serve in a second Trump administration.

Now, at a recent rally, Donald Trump also suggested that women are not going to need to worry anymore about abortions if he’s elected again.

Donald Trump, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: You will be protected and I will be your protector. Women will be happy, healthy, confident and free.

(Cheering)

Donald Trump: You will no longer be thinking about abortion. That’s all they talk about, abortion.

Laura Barron-Lopez: And we should also note the past comments made by Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance.

In 2022, when he was running for the Senate, Amna, he said that he would like abortion to be illegal nationally. And he also said that he was quote sympathetic to a national ban on interstate travel for women who are seeking to get the procedure.

Amna Nawaz: So, Laura, as you well know, and you have covered IVF.

In vitro fertilization has also been in the spotlight this cycle, especially after that Alabama Supreme Court decision that said frozen embryos should be considered children. Where do the candidates stand on IVF specifically?

Laura Barron-Lopez: Vice President Harris backs a Senate bill that establishes protections and rights for people to access treatment to in vitro fertilization nationwide. And her most prominent surrogate on this has been her running mate, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, because he and his wife used fertility treatments when they were trying to have their first child.

Now, as for Trump, that Alabama court decision put Republicans on the defense, Amna. And Trump has said he opposes efforts to limit IVF, that, if elected, he’d provide full coverage of IVF protections and full serve — cover full services by requiring insurance companies to pay for it.

But he hasn’t provided details on how exactly he would pay for a lot of that. And Senate Republicans twice, Amna, have blocked that Senate bill that we talked about that would protect IVF nationwide.

Amna Nawaz: So Vice President Harris is clearly running on this as a big issue. We know former President Trump has been asked about it a number of different ways. How important is this issue to voters this year?

Laura Barron-Lopez: To get a sense of that salience, Amna, in the last two years, six states considered abortion on the ballot, abortion rights on the ballot. And all six states, including red states like Kansas and Kentucky, decided to protect abortion rights.

Now, this year, abortion referendums are on the ballot in 10 states this fall, including the battleground of Arizona and Nevada. And our most recent poll on abortion, Amna, it found that 45 percent of voters say it — that abortion is a deciding factor for them this election, versus 36 percent who say it’s important, but not necessarily a deciding factor.

So, overall, this is going to be one of the biggest issues this election cycle.

Amna Nawaz: Great reporting, as always.

Laura Barron-Lopez, thank you.

Laura Barron-Lopez: Thank you.

Amna Nawaz: And we will continue to delve into the issues at stake in this election in the coming weeks. Right now, you can watch all of our Promises and Policies conversations online at PBS.org/NewsHour.