The Stakes on Abortion

We explain where Kamala Harris and Donald Trump stand on the issue.

The question of whether women should be allowed to end a pregnancy has roiled American politics for more than half a century. But this year’s presidential race is the first since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and abortion politics and policy are changing rapidly.

Kamala Harris has made abortion rights a central promise of her candidacy. But she would likely face legislative hurdles to restore them nationwide.

Donald Trump takes a murkier approach. He argues that abortion law should be left to the states. But some of his allies want to criminalize the procedure across the country, and he refuses to say whether he would oppose a national ban if Congress passed one.

The Morning is running a series explaining the policy stakes of the election and the impact a Harris or Trump victory could have on key issues in American life. In this installment, I’ll focus on abortion. I’ve covered abortion politics for more than a decade and am co-author of a recent book, “The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America.”

Trump’s murky view

Trump has a long history of reversing course on abortion.

In 1999, as he flirted with a presidential run, he declared himself “very pro-choice.” A dozen years later, he publicly changed his position. “Just very briefly, I’m pro-life,” he told attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2011. During his 2016 campaign, he built a close alliance with social conservatives by promising to nominate “pro-life justices” to the Supreme Court.

But as the politics shifted after the fall of Roe, Trump struggled to find his footing. In March, he expressed openness to a 15-week national ban. Anti-abortion activists want such legislation because it would curtail abortion in liberal states where the procedure is legal later in pregnancy. (This tracker by my colleagues shows where abortion is on the ballot in November.)

A few weeks later, Trump reversed his stance and said that abortion law should be left to the states — and that any bans should include exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. At a rally this week, he expressed a desire for female voters to move beyond the issue, promising that if he was elected they would “no longer be thinking about abortion.”

In fact, there are reasons to believe that Trump could go beyond even a national ban. Some of his allies have suggested using laws like the Comstock Act, a measure from 1873, to prosecute people who ship any materials used in an abortion — including abortion pills, which now account for most U.S. abortions.

Others have suggested revoking F.D.A. approval for abortion medication and using the Health and Human Services Department to track personal details about women receiving abortions. They’ve also said the government shouldn’t enforce a law requiring hospitals to provide emergency care to pregnant women who need an abortion. A few want to stop mandating that insurance cover certain emergency contraceptives.

Harris’s vocal support

Harris’s position has been clearer. She views restricting access to the procedure as not only bad policy but, as she said in the presidential debate this month, “immoral.”

Harris has championed the issue like no previous presidential candidate, using direct terms like “uterus” and holding an event at an abortion clinic. She promises to sign a bill re-establishing Roe’s protection of abortion in roughly the first 23 weeks of pregnancy. She also favors access to fertility treatments, which some anti-abortion activists want to limit.

For all her promises, her efforts would likely be hampered by legislative realities. Thanks to Senate filibuster rules, 60 votes are required to pass most legislation. Even if Democrats maintain their slim majority in the chamber, they’re unlikely to clear that hurdle. A simple majority can vote to end the filibuster, and a central question for a Harris presidency would be whether Senate Democrats would do so.

There is also uncertainty about what a bill would include. Many abortion rights activists think abortion should be legal beyond 23 weeks. Harris has declined to answer questions about whether she favors abortion rights in the final three months of pregnancy.

But on one point there is no confusion: A Harris administration would try to open up more avenues for abortion, and a Trump administration would restrict them.

The Stakes

A Morning newsletter series on how Harris and Trump view some of the biggest issues facing the country.

• Presidential power
• Taxes
• Immigration

More on the election

• After two assassination attempts, Trump is still going to risky events with complicated security — like a Georgia-Alabama football game.
• Harris is trying to bait Trump into debating her again. At a Las Vegas rally, she said that she was “all in” and that Trump was “ready to fold.”
• Harris called for a crackdown on fentanyl. Then Trump twisted her position and said she was in favor of legalization.

THE LATEST NEWS

Middle East

• Israel killed Hamas’s leader in Lebanon in an airstrike.
• As many as 100,000 people have fled to Syria from Lebanon because of Israeli airstrikes, the U.N. said.
• Israeli warplanes attacked power plants and shipping infrastructure in Yemen.

More International News

• In Nepal, flooding and landslides have killed at least 190 people.
• Japan’s governing party chose a new leader. He is a critic of the country’s longstanding ultralow interest rates, and stocks dropped after the news.
• In Austria, a far-right party won national elections but may fall short of forming a government.

Hurricane Helene

• Helene has killed more than 90 people, including a woman in her 70s who rode motorcycles. Read about the victims.
• Some residents in North Carolina still lack water, food, power, gasoline and cellphone service.
• See the storm’s devastating 600-mile path.

Eric Adams

• Prosecutors pursuing charges against Eric Adams, the New York City mayor, appear to have some solid evidence. Still, they may not win.
• Adams is accused of getting luxury travel upgrades in exchange for political favors. A Times reporter took the same trip to see what it was like.

Other Big Stories

• Kris Kristofferson, the country singer, songwriter and actor, died at 88.
• California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, vetoed a big A.I. bill. It would have been the first in the U.S. to place strict guardrails on the technology.
• Dockworkers may strike at American ports. Their employers are open to automation, but the workers are afraid for their jobs.

Opinions

“Kamala Harris is the only patriotic choice for president,” writes the editorial board, which enumerates the dangers of another Trump presidency.

Israel’s devastating blow to Hezbollah is a world-shaking threat to Iran, Russia, North Korea and even China, Thomas Friedman writes.

Kamala Harris should cut back on the incessant focus on Trump and spend more time talking with voters, Ashley Etienne, a former Harris aide, writes.

Gail Collins and Bret Stephens discuss Adams’s indictment and immigration.

Here are columns by Maureen Dowd on Adams’s lack of Turkish delight, and Nicholas Kristof on a heroic refugee in Sudan.

MORNING READS

The truth about tuna: Should you be worried about mercury content? Experts weigh in.

East Village Radio: The underground institution closed around a decade ago. Now, it’s back.

Retail: Vintage shopping is booming. Banana Republic and other retailers are changing their products.

Ask Vanessa: “Why do so many women wear giant eyeglasses?”

Metropolitan Diary: A children’s oasis in Bay Ridge.

Lives Lived: Bill Lucy was a trailblazing Black union leader who fought for civil rights in the American South and against apartheid in South Africa. He died at 90.

SPORTS

N.F.L.: The Baltimore Ravens beat the previously undefeated Buffalo Bills 35-10.

W.N.B.A.: In a rematch of last year’s finals, the New York Liberty won Game 1 in the semifinals against the defending champion, the Las Vegas Aces. Read a recap.

M.L.B.: The Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets will play a doubleheader today to decide the last two playoff spots.

ARTS AND IDEAS

For three decades — since Bill Clinton’s 1996 presidential bid — Unionwear in New Jersey has made political hats for both Democratic and Republican campaigns. Early in the 2024 campaign cycle, the company saw few sales for Biden hats, but since Harris entered the race, production has soared. Read more about the factory.

More on culture

• Francis Ford Coppola spent decades and millions of his own money on the avant-garde fable “Megalopolis.” It died on arrival at the box office.
• CNN, under a new chief executive, is making documentaries after backing away from the genre two years ago.

THE MORNING RECOMMENDS …

Coat cheesy chicken cutlets with buttery Ritz crackers.

Try this heart-healthy diet.

Warm a room with a space heater.

Use a great beard trimmer.

Take our news quiz.

GAMES

Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was vilifying.

And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands.

Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow.

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