OPINION: Since Trump declared that he overturned Roe v. Wade all by himself, Democrats must make him own it, along with every bit of trauma that comes with a post-Roe reality.
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more
Owning it goes beyond simply replaying Trump’s words on a loop. That’s not enough. Owning it means telling all of the heartbreaking, visceral stories of the women and people impacted by the loss of protections and rights afforded by Roe. It means forming a mobilizing connection with the Black women and the people who have experienced pregnancy loss, who felt every bit of Brittany Watts’ pain as she was caught in the middle of cruel, dehumanizing laws. And it means amplifying and outlining the impact of every court case to block access to basic health care, like the one that left Kate Cox in a threatening limbo. For every Brittany and for every Kate, there will be more women and pregnant people who experience the same trauma, and people should be reminded via digital and face-to-face campaigns that Trump is to blame for all of it.
This approach would yield political gains as multiple elections have shown that abortion rights are an issue that transcends and mobilizes voters across age, race, and partisan lines. In 2022, voters boosted midterm turnout as they mobilized to protect abortion rights in ballot measures in Montana, Kentucky, Michigan, Kansas, California and Vermont. In 2023, victories in Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia again confirmed the power of abortion rights as voters rejected rhetoric from the right, including language from the Republican governor of Virginia, Glenn Younkin, that abortion bans weren’t actually bans — because that made complete sense.
That same energy will be present in 2024 as activists work to get abortion on the ballot with initiatives in Florida, Arizona, Nevada and more. And thankfully, Vice President Kamala Harris is amplifying the ongoing fight for our rights with her Reproductive Freedoms Tour that kicks off in Wisconsin on Jan. 22, the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade. These activations and conversations are a critical starting point for this election year, and to ensure their success, each time abortion rights and protections are discussed, Trump must be named. Our current reproductive hellscape exists because of him, and the trauma and pain that comes with it has to be laid at Trump’s feet where it belongs.
Juanita Tolliver is the host of Crooked Media’s “What A Day” Podcast, and an MSNBC political analyst.
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