As the nail-biting US presidential election draws near, the repercussions for women’s lives across the country loom large.
Tuesday’s election (local time) will determine whether Kamala Harris becomes the first woman president, or if Donald Trump will gain access to another four years in the Oval Office.
Thousands of people showed up in Washington DC over the weekend, driving support for Kamala, as national debates continue around legal access to abortion and a woman’s right to make choices about her own body.
“We won’t ignore the elephant in the womb,” read one woman’s sign at the Women’s March, referring to the GOP as the symbolic elephant figure.
Other signs read: “We are not ovary-acting”, “Roe, Roe Roe your vote”, and “Grab Him By the Ballot”.
Seven years ago, the Women’s March was first born, following Trump’s misogynistic comment: “you can do anything” to women if you are a “star” including “grab ‘em by the pussy”.
Millions of people, many wearing the iconic pink “pussy” hat, took to the streets for the Women’s March, in what can only be described as a powerful movement towards change.
Now, change is on the ballot again, and anticipation is rife.
On Thursday, Trump made the threat that he would protect women “whether the women like it or not”. He also claimed that women “will not be thinking about abortion” if he is re-elected.
While voters have a chance to keep this misogynistic bully away from politics, the final set of poll predictions are showing a tight race between the two candidates. The multiple pathways available to capturing the 270 Electoral College votes open to either.
Women’s rights
Only time will tell where the victory lies, but it’s clear that the right to abortion is one of the key policy differences between Harris and Trump.
This is the first presidential election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022. A move linked to Trump’s instatement of the justices who were instrumental in striking down legal access to abortion.
Trump has even leaned into this key role, saying: “I was able to kill Roe v Wade”. Throughout his 2024 campaign, he’s had shifting views on the issue but has suggested he’d be open to backing a federal abortion ban.
During the presidential debate between Harris and Trump in September, Harris warned, “understand, if Donald Trump were to be reelected, he will sign a national abortion ban”.
Harris has made abortion rights a central focus of her campaign, pledging to sign into law legislation that restores the federal right to abortion.
Public anger against restriction of abortion rights has previously resulted in Democratic successes in multiple states, including conservative areas.
The Pew Research Center has found 63 per cent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. And notably, two-thirds of moderate Republicans said they support abortion rights.
The issue of abortion in the US is not completely isolated from impacting views in other countries either. Public discourse in Australia can be influenced by US politics, as already seen in a concerning pro-life movement in Queensland’s parliament just last month.
Despite being decriminalised six years ago, the topic of abortion was a key point of debate in the Queensland election. Robbie Katter, who leads the Katter Australian Party (KAP), vowed to “test the parliament” on abortion by introducing a private member’s bill that would likely scale back abortion rights in the state. Many LNP MPs echoed Katter’s call for changes to abortion rights.
And earlier this month, a bill to amend abortion rights in South Australia– labelled “Trumpian”– was just one vote away from passing in the state’s parliament.