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Join NowWe Asked ABC Moderators to Ask About Abortion During the Presidential Debate. Here’s How Kamala Harris and Donald Trump Responded.
Ahead of Tuesday’s first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, MoveOn worked with actress and activist Busy Philipps, as well as activists Amanda Zurawski and Kaitlyn Joshua, to urge ABC News debate moderators to ask nuanced and hard-hitting questions concerning the dangerous impacts of state abortion bans.
They, along with more than 43,000 MoveOn members, signed a petition wanting to know what Kamala Harris and Donald Trump would say to Americans who believe state abortion bans have gone too far and what role the federal government should play in ensuring people, regardless of ZIP code, have access to reproductive care.
Here are some highlights of how it went during Tuesday’s debate.
ABC News Moderators did ask about abortion—but not our exact questions.
ABC Moderator Linsey Davis confronted Donald Trump on his role in ending Roe v. Wade and his inconsistency when it comes to abortion, stating “Vice President Harris says women shouldn’t trust you on the issue of abortion because you’ve changed your position so many times; therefore, why should they trust you?”
Disturbingly, Donald Trump took the opportunity to spread dangerous lies about abortion and make reckless, conspiratorial comments about killing born babies that were debunked in real time by the moderator.
Then he applauded the “genius, heart, and strength” of the conservative Supreme Court justices who voted in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case against abortion, and he said he did “a great service” undoing the protections of Roe v. Wade.
Trump also refused to give an answer on if he’d veto a national abortion ban, instead deflecting to avoid revealing to voters his extreme stance on abortion. It’s deceptive, but we know where he stands on the issue.
Kamala Harris, in contrast, made it clear that she will fight for abortion rights, stating that as president she would “proudly sign into law” a bill to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade.
“I think the American people believe that certain freedoms, in particular the freedom to make decisions about one’s own body, should not be made by the government,” she continued.
Abortion is one of the top issues for voters this election cycle—it deserved more than five minutes during the debate. But five minutes was enough time to make clear the choice that is in front of us:
Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025—a blueprint for a second Trump term that was informed by more than 140 former Trump advisers and that would take us even further backward when it comes to reproductive health and abortion access.
Or Kamala Harris, a champion for reproductive freedom who affirmed on Tuesday that she would continue to fight for abortion and bodily autonomy for all Americans.
Our choice is clear. Abortion is on the ballot this election, and we must elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, who will fight to protect and expand our reproductive freedoms!
HOW YOU CAN HELP
When abortion is on the ballot, abortion wins. And MoveOn members across the country are feeling fired up about turning out the vote for abortion and bodily autonomy this November, electing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, and defeating Donald Trump at the polls.
Watch and share this video from Busy Philipps, Amanda Zurawski, and Kaitlyn Joshua where they share their abortion and reproductive health stories and what’s at stake.