'Abortion Ban' Major Issue in US Presidential Election... Vice President Says "Trump is the Architect"

US Vice President Visits Arizona Amid Abortion Ban Revival
"Trump Wants to Turn America Back to the 1800s"

The state of Arizona in the United States has revived an abortion ban law after 160 years, making abortion rights the biggest issue in the U.S. presidential election. The Democratic Party is focusing its attacks on former President Donald Trump, calling him "the architect of abortion bans."

According to AFP on the 12th (local time), Vice President Kamala Harris visited Arizona, one of the key battleground states in the presidential election, putting the abortion issue front and center.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivering a speech at a campaign rally in Tucson, Arizona on the 12th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

During a campaign event in the Tucson area, she said, "Trump is the architect of this medical crisis," warning, "What would a second Trump term look like? More bans, more pain, less freedom."

She added, "As he did in Arizona, he basically wants to take America back to the 1800s," emphasizing, "But we will not let that happen. It is not the 1800s anymore; it is 2024. We will not go back."

Vice President Harris visited Arizona just three days after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the state could reinstate an old law banning abortion at all stages of pregnancy except when the mother's life is at risk.

AFP reported that this move targets the voting sentiment in Arizona, a major swing state where Democratic and Republican support fluctuates, and that the Democrats are pouring huge funds into advertising campaigns to unite key support groups such as young voters, women, and Latino voters.

On the 9th, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled 4-2 that "there is no provision in federal or state law prohibiting the enforcement of the 1864 statute," meaning the abortion ban law can still be enforced.

The Arizona abortion ban law enacted in 1864 had become obsolete as other states legislated to allow early pregnancy abortions. However, in June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 'Roe v. Wade' decision that guaranteed abortion rights, leaving the decision on abortion legality to each state.

Following this, the then-Attorney General from the Republican Party persuaded state court judges to lift injunctions blocking the enforcement of the abortion ban law, leading to legal battles.

According to the law, pregnancies resulting from rape or incest are not exempted, and doctors performing abortions or those assisting can face imprisonment from 2 to 5 years.

Vice President Harris stated, "Overturning Roe was just the opening act of a larger strategy to strip women of their rights and freedoms," adding, "The reason Donald Trump personally appointed three U.S. Supreme Court justices was to overturn Roe, and as he intended, they did."

Former President Trump, just before the Arizona Supreme Court ruling, said about abortion, "Each state will decide by vote or legislation, and what is decided should become the law of that state." However, immediately after the ruling, when asked by reporters if he thought the Arizona decision went too far, he replied, "Yes," expressing the view that Arizona needs to correct the ruling.