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In one of the most powerful speeches of the election cycle so far, former First Lady Michelle Obama described the effects of rolling back abortion care in the clearest terms Democrats have ever used.
Obama said in a speech Saturday in Kalamazoo, Michigan:
Men who love us, let me paint you a picture of what it would feel like if America, the richest country on earth, continues to withdraw basic care from its women, and how it will affect every woman in your life.
If your girlfriend needs medication out of state or overseas, or if she has to travel across state lines because her local clinic is closed, she could be at legal risk.
Your wife and mother may be among those at higher risk of dying from undiagnosed cervical cancer because they do not have access to regular gynecological care.
Your daughter may be too scared to call her doctor if she experiences bleeding during an unexpected pregnancy.
It could be your niece who had a miscarriage in the bathtub after being turned away from the hospital.
This doesn’t just affect women. It will affect you and your sons.
Obama’s approach was notable for its explicit focus on the human impacts of abortion restrictions. This is a framing also used by Vice President Kamala Harris, who talked about the specific effects of overthrow. roe States banning abortion during a debate in September and at an event with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year.
Their approach stands in stark contrast to that of President Joe Biden, who has struggled to talk about abortion for years and has only recently spoken out on the issue. In his State of the Union address earlier this year, Biden also did not use the word ‘abortion’, but instead used a more comprehensive expression about ‘reproductive freedom’.
Obama’s speech comes as the party attempts to bridge the gender gap in this election, with Harris enjoying much stronger support from women, while Trump holds a large lead among men. Protecting abortion rights has been a particularly motivating issue for women, including swing voters, during this year’s and 2022 midterms.
In his speech, Obama acknowledged that men may be disillusioned with the slow pace of change and the current political climate. But her remarks sought to emphasize that the fallout from abortion policy is also relevant to them.
“If we don’t get this election right, your wives, your daughters, your mothers and our women will be collateral damage to your anger,” she said.
Reproductive rights are an important issue for some swing voters.
Reproductive rights have been key to Democratic victories, including in the 2022 swing states of Michigan and Pennsylvania. In Michigan, Democrats have flipped control of the state legislature for the first time in years as they fight to enshrine abortion rights protections into the state constitution. And in Pennsylvania, then-candidates John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro emphasized their support, with the party switching Senate seats and maintaining control of the governor’s mansion. roe.
An August 2024 New York Times/Siena poll found that abortion remains the most important issue for many voters, with 27% of Democrats in swing states saying it is their main issue, as did 12% of independents. I did it. A Kaiser Family Foundation survey conducted in September and October also found that a majority of female voters (58%) believe Harris will do a better job on abortion policy than Trump.
The Harris campaign told POLITICO in mid-October that it believed there was still room to grow on the issue, targeting both women under 40 and those without a college degree. As Obama’s speech neared the end of the election, the campaign sought to shore up support among men.
For voters who are less engaged or still on the fence, abortion access represents an issue area where it is easy to draw sharp contrasts between the candidates.
Trump boasted that he had overturned the appointment of a judge. roeHarris emphasized that she will seek to restore these protections. In his speech this weekend, Obama tried to explain the consequences as clearly as possible for the men and women still contemplating his decision.
Democratic pollster Celinda Lake previously told TIME: “We have very little information about the last voters we need to rally around, and the abortion issue is very clear.”
