Harris, Beyoncé team up for a Texas rally on abortion rights and hope battleground states hear them

HOUSTON -- Vice President Kamala Harris will squad up pinch Beyoncé connected Friday for a rally successful solidly Republican Texas aimed astatine highlighting nan perilous aesculapian fallout from nan state's strict abortion prohibition and putting nan blasted squarely connected Donald Trump.

It's a connection intended to registry acold beyond Texas successful nan governmental battleground states, wherever Harris is hoping that nan aftereffects from the autumn of Roe v. Wade will spur voters to move retired to support her quest for nan presidency.

Harris will besides beryllium joined astatine nan rally by women who person astir died from sepsis and different gestation complications because they were incapable to get due aesculapian care, including women who ne'er intended to extremity their pregnancies.

Some of them person already been retired campaigning for Harris and others person told their harrowing tales successful campaign ads that activity to show really nan rumor has ballooned into thing acold bigger than nan correct to extremity an unwanted pregnancy.

Since abortion was restricted successful Texas, nan state’s infant decease complaint increased, much babies person died of commencement defects and maternal mortality has risen.

With nan presidential election successful a dormant heat, nan Democratic nominee is banking connected abortion authorities arsenic a awesome driver for voters — including for Republican women, peculiarly since Trump appointed 3 of nan Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn nan law correct and he has been inconsistent astir really he would attack nan rumor if voters return him to nan White House.

Harris’ run has taken connected Beyonce’s 2016 way “Freedom” arsenic its anthem, and nan connection dovetails pinch nan vice president's push for reproductive freedom. The singer’s planned quality Friday adds a precocious level of prima powerfulness to Harris' sojourn to nan state. While successful Texas, Harris besides will portion a podcast pinch celebrated big Brené Brown.

There is immoderate grounds to propose that abortion authorities whitethorn thrust women to nan polls arsenic it did during nan 2022 midterm elections. Voters in 7 states, including immoderate blimpish ones, person either protected abortion authorities aliases defeated attempts to restrict them successful statewide votes complete nan past 2 years.

“Living successful Texas, it feels incredibly important to protect women’s wellness and safety,” said Colette Clark, an Austin voter. She said voting for Harris is nan champion measurement to forestall further abortion restrictions from happening crossed nan country.

Another Austin resident, Daniel Kardish, didn't cognize anyone who has been personally affected by nan restrictions, but nevertheless views it arsenic a cardinal rumor this election.

“I consciousness powerfully astir women having bodily autonomy,” he said.

Harris said this week she thought nan rumor was compelling capable to motivate moreover Republican women, adding, “for truthful galore of us, our girl is going to person less authorities than their grandmother.”

"When nan rumor of nan state of a female to make decisions astir her ain assemblage is connected nan ballot, nan American group ballot for state sloppy of nan statement pinch which they’re registered to vote," Harris said.

Harris isn’t apt to triumph Texas, but that isn’t nan constituent of her beingness Friday.

“Of each nan states successful nan nation, Texas has been crushed zero for harrowing stories of women, including women who person been denied care, who had to time off nan state, mothers who person had to time off nan state,” said Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, a ineligible group down galore lawsuits challenging abortion restrictions. “It's 1 of nan awesome places wherever this reality has been so, truthful devastatingly felt.”

Democrats pass that a winnowing of authorities and freedoms will only proceed if Trump is elected. Republican lawmakers successful states crossed nan U.S. person been rejecting Democrats' efforts to protect aliases grow entree to commencement control, for example.

Democrats besides dream Harris' sojourn will springiness a boost to Rep. Colin Allred, who is making a longshot bid to unseat Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Allred will look astatine nan rally pinch Harris.

When Roe was first overturned, Democrats initially focused connected nan caller limitations connected entree to abortion to extremity unwanted pregnancies. But nan aforesaid aesculapian procedures utilized for abortions are utilized to dainty miscarriages.

And increasingly, successful 14 states pinch strict abortion bans, women cannot get aesculapian attraction until their information has go life-threatening. In immoderate states, doctors can look criminal charges if they supply aesculapian care.

About 6 successful 10 Americans deliberation their authorities should mostly let a personification to get a ineligible abortion if they don’t want to beryllium pregnant for immoderate reason, according to a July canvass from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Trump has been inconsistent successful his connection to voters connected abortion and reproductive rights. He has many times shifted his stance and offered vague, contradictory and astatine times nonsensical answers to questions connected an rumor that has go a awesome vulnerability for Republicans successful this year’s election.

Texas encapsulates nan post-Roe landscape. Its strict abortion prohibition prohibits physicians from performing abortions erstwhile cardiac activity is detected, which tin hap arsenic early arsenic six weeks aliases before.

As a result, women, including those who didn’t intend to extremity a pregnancy, are progressively suffering worse aesculapian care. That's successful portion because doctors cannot intervene unless a female is facing a life-threatening condition, aliases to forestall “substantial impairment of awesome bodily function.”

The authorities besides has go a battleground for litigation. The U.S. Supreme Court weighed successful on nan broadside of nan state’s prohibition conscionable 2 weeks ago.

Complaints of pregnant women successful aesculapian distress being turned distant from emergency rooms successful Texas and elsewhere person spiked arsenic hospitals grapple pinch whether modular attraction could break strict authorities laws against abortion.

Several Texas women person lodged complaints against hospitals for not terminating their failing and vulnerable pregnancies because of nan state’s ban. In immoderate cases, women mislaid reproductive organs.

Of late, Republicans person progressively tried to spot nan blasted connected doctors, alleging that physicians are intentionally denying services in an effort to undercut nan bans and make a governmental point.

Perryman said that was gaslighting.

“Doctors are being placed successful a position wherever they are having to look nan imaginable of criminal liability, of individual liability, threat to their aesculapian licence and their expertise to attraction for group — they’re faced pinch an untenable position,” she said.

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Long reported from Washington and Lathan from Austin, Texas.