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Kamala Harris’ and Donald Trump’s records on abortion policy couldn’t be more different – here’s what actions they both have taken while in office

Rachel Rebouché, Temple University

Abortion is a critical, if not the most important, issue for many voters – especially women, according to polls – ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November.

Harris and Trump have starkly different track records on abortion.

Since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee in August 2024, she has been vocal about her support for abortion rights. Specifically, she supports Congress passing a federal law that would protect abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court in 2022 overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which recognized a constitutional right to abortion.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, meanwhile, has boasted about nominating three Supreme Court justices who were among the court majority that voted in 2022 to abandon a constitutional right to abortion. However, in September 2024, Trump said he would not sign a federal abortion ban, reversing course from his previous statements. He also did not answer a question during the September presidential debate about whether he would veto legislation that bans abortion.

Harris and Trump have starkly different track records on abortion. As an academic, my scholarship focuses on reproductive health law, health care law and family law. In this piece, and in anticipation of the election, I briefly consider the broad strokes of each candidate’s past positions on and actions regarding abortion.

Harris’ abortion record

As California’s attorney general, Harris co-sponsored the Reproductive FACT Act, which, among other requirements, mandated that crisis pregnancy centers inform patients that they are not licensed medical facilities and that abortion services are available elsewhere. These centers are nonprofit organizations that counsel pregnant people against abortion, sometimes using deceptive tactics.

Anti-abortion groups sued to block the law once it went into effect. And, in 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the law on First Amendment grounds.

As a U.S. senator, Harris opposed anti-abortion bills that would have conferred personhood rights on fetuses.

In 2017, Harris investigated the tactics of undercover videographers at Planned Parenthood clinics who, through deception and fraud, sought to entrap clinicians into making controversial, though legal, statements, and who possibly contravened state law on secret recordings.

As a U.S. senator, Harris opposed anti-abortion bills that would have conferred personhood rights on fetuses. None of them ultimately passed.

Conversely, Harris championed various bills that would have protected and advanced reproductive rights. In 2019, for example, Harris was a co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have enacted a federal statutory right to abortion. It also did not pass.

Finally, during Harris’ tenure as vice president, the Biden administration has used its executive power to ease barriers to abortion access, primarily through federal agency actions. The Food and Drug Administration, for example, removed a rule in 2021 that prohibited mailing medication abortion.

The Department of Health and Human Services issued guidance affirming that federal law requires emergency rooms to perform an abortion when it is medically necessary to stabilize a patient needing urgent care.

The Biden-Harris administration also supported federal legislation that includes accommodations for abortion. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, enacted in 2023, requires employers to provide time off for a worker’s miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion.

Trump began his presidency in 2016 by promising to appoint Supreme Court justices who wouldoverturn Roe v. Wade.

Although the Biden-Harris administration’s abortion policy is not necessarily based on just the vice president, Harris, since Roe’s reversal, has been at the helm of the administration’s “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour, speaking nationally in support of a right to abortion. Harris has also stressed the damage done in 14 states, in particular, where abortion is banned throughout pregnancy or after six weeks of gestation.

Trump’s abortion record

During Trump’s tenure as president, he supported various changes – in the form of judicial appointments, federal funding and agency actions, some led by anti-abortion federal employees – in the service of making it harder for people to gain access to abortion care.

Trump began his presidency in 2016 by promising to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade. He nominated three justices – Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch – who joined the majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, reversing Roe in June 2022.

The Senate confirmed 226 judges whom Trump nominated to the lower levels of federal courts. Trump’s nominations followed a campaign pledge in 2016 that he “would appoint pro-life judges.” Some were on record as being against abortion, and some believed that embryos should be treated like children.

From the start, Trump’s administration prioritized defunding Planned Parenthood clinics, which offer abortion care and receive federal funding under the federal Title X program for other family planning services. Trump signed a bill in 2017 to allow states to strip funding from Planned Parenthood clinics and other organizations that offer abortion, even though abortion care was not supported by the Title X funding.

The Trump administration unsuccessfully tried to replace the Affordable Care Act and undermine its coverage for contraceptives as well as its neutral stance on insurance coverage for abortion. Trump supported bills such as the never-passed American Health Care Act to limit abortion coverage in private health insurance plans.

Trump also appointed several people with anti-abortion positions to his administration, including Charmaine Yoest, the former CEO for the anti-abortion group Americans United for Life, who served as a top communications official at the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Trump administration advanced numerous other anti-abortion policies. For instance, the Department of Human and Health Services’ 2017 strategic plan defined life as beginning at conception – a decision that supported funding for crisis pregnancy centers and abstinence-only education programs.

Finally, the Trump administration adopted an anti-abortion approach when it came to foreign policy. Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy, also known as the Global Gag Rule, which prohibits foreign nongovernmental organizations that receive U.S. funding from performing abortions or referring patients for abortion care elsewhere. Under the Mexico City Policy, Trump in 2017 removed US$8.8 billion in U.S. foreign aid for overseas programs that provide or refer for abortions.

In 2017, Trump also suspended U.S. funding to the United Nations Population Fund, an agency focused on family planning for low-income people around the world, among other issues, which does “not promote abortion” but “supports the right of all women to get post-abortion care.” Biden restored funding to the U.N. agency in 2021.

In the coming weeks, both candidates will have a lot to say about abortion, possibly refining or changing their stances on aspects of abortion law. In assessing what both candidates have to say about how their administration will approach abortion, voters might consider what we know about their past actions.

About the author:
Rachel Rebouché is a Professor of Law at Temple University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Six and oh, my! SJO offense delivers lopsided victory

BLOOMINGTON - St. Joseph-Ogden lineman Nolan Earley lifts receiver Coy Taylor while celebrating the team's second touchdown in the second quarter to go 14-7 after a field goal. The Spartans would not trail their hosts for the remainder of the game, winning 38-19. Taylor, making a spectacular diving catch on the play, finished the game with 161 receiving yards and 13 rushing. Now 6-0, the Spartans punched their ticket into this year's playoffs with the conference win. More photos and recap coming this week.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Local unions to host Neighborhood Trades Party on Sunday

SAVOY - Urbana community leader DeShawn Williams and local union leaders will host a Neighborhood Trades Party this Sunday from 3pm to 6pm at Blair Park in Urbana. A unique job fair, the event is an opportunity to have a burger and casual conversations with leaders of labor unions and some of the area’s largest employers.

“We hope people will come by to not only learn about careers with these companies, but also learn more about labor unions and get to know our members in a fun, casual environment,” said Matt Kelly, Business Manager with Local 149. “Some will have immediate needs, others will have apprenticeship opportunities – it’s just a matter of learning how your skills, experience, and interests will be a good match.”

Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 149, Carpenters Local 243, as well as the East Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents 18 trade unions from across the area will be in attendance. There will also be several companies on hand that employ those union members, such as A&R Mechanical Contractors, P.J. Hoerr, Broeren Russo Builders, Davis Electric, Remco Electric, United Mechanical, Davis-Houk Mechanical, and Henson Robinson Company.

From plumbers to electricians, carpenters to laborers, unions provided guaranteed wages, with many starting at $22 an hour, building to a total hourly package of over $77 after five years of on-the-job training. That’s in addition to industry-leading benefits, including free healthcare and early retirement plans.

For more information contact Steve at steve@arrowstrategygroup.com or Local 149 at (217) 359-5201.

Myth busting hygene, common health misconceptions you should ignore

You should modify your diet when sick to avoid trigger foods, like spicy or greasy foods, suggests Dr. Awad Alyami, a pediatrician at OSF HealthCare.

Photo: Nhung Tran/Pixabay

by Tim Ditman
OSF Healthcare

DANVILLE - From health care providers to websites to advice passed down through generations, there are a lot of ways to get health care information, especially tips for minor ailments you can treat at home.

Awad Alyami, MD, a pediatrician at OSF HealthCare, breaks down some common myths.

Myth: There’s a one-size-fits-all pill for common illnesses.

Fact: It depends on whether it’s a viral infection (like influenza, the common cold or coronavirus) or a bacterial infection (like pneumonia, strep throat or food-borne illnesses like salmonella).

“For the most part, with bacterial infections you need to see a health care provider. You’re probably going to need an antibiotic,” Dr. Alyami says. “Most viral infections just run their course, and you focus on the symptoms. If you have a fever, you take fever medication. If you have pain, you take pain medication. If kids are six years or older and have a cough, they can use over-the-counter cough medication.”

Dr. Alyami points out that you can take those medications to help with bacterial infection symptoms, too. But you need an antibiotic, too, to get better.

Myth: Feed a cold and starve a fever.

Dr. Awad Alyami

Fact: You should modify your diet when sick to avoid trigger foods, like spicy or greasy foods. But reducing the amount you eat and drink won’t make you better sooner. In fact, Dr. Alyami says hydration is critical.

“When kids have infections and a fever, one of the most common reasons they end up in the hospital is dehydration,” Dr. Alyami says. “When kids are sick, they lose fluids from their body and need hydration.”

So, drink plenty of water and eat nutritious foods as your body can tolerate.

Myth: I can go back to work or school as soon as I start to feel better.

Fact: Dr. Alyami says you should be fever-free (body temperature less than 100.4 degrees) for 24 hours with improving symptoms.

When you go back out, practice good habits like thorough handwashing and avoiding coughing or sneezing into the open air.

Myth: If I don’t look or feel dirty, I don’t need to shower or bathe.

Fact: Dr. Alyami says there’s no “catch all” advice for how often to wash off. Some people will shower or bathe daily. Others will do so every other day or less frequently. Dr. Alyami advises you to shower or bathe when you feel you need to or after you’ve been in a dirty or sweaty environment, like after playing sports or a hike in the woods. People with skin conditions should also clean themselves with care.

“For people with eczema or atopic dermatitis, I recommend daily showers,” Dr. Alyami says. “But they need to be quick because the more exposure to water we have, the more we dehydrate the skin. So, showers should not exceed 15 minutes, and you should apply moisturizer right away afterward.”

Myth: When I shower, bathe or wash my hands, really hot water is best to kill germs.

Fact: Really hot showers can feel good, but they may burn your skin. Dr. Alyami recommends setting your home’s water heater at 120 degrees or less. Then, when you use the shower or sink, warm, but not hot water is best.

Dr. Alyami adds that a cold shower after a sweaty summer activity is OK because it can reduce the chance of heat rash. But frequent cold showers can irritate your skin.

Myth: Q-tips are meant for cleaning your ear.

Fact: “The ear is a self-cleaning oven. Most everything inside the ear will come out on its own,” Dr. Alyami says. “When we put anything inside the ear, we are pushing everything from the outside to the inside, especially earwax. It makes it harder for the ear to clean itself.”

Using Q-tips and similar devices can lead to injuries to the ear canal or eardrum, Dr. Alyami adds. Instead, during your shower or bath, gently clean and dry the outside of your ears. If your ears look or feel off (pain or itchiness, for example), see a provider.

“We can clean you safely in the office,” Dr. Alyami says.

Myth: For cuts and scrapes, apply antibiotic ointment like Neosporin until it heals.

Fact: You can apply the ointment once after cleaning the wound and then again after the wound is healed. But doing so often can lead to contact dermatitis, a bad skin reaction.

Myth: The “five second rule” is OK for eating food that’s fallen on the floor.

Fact: Dr. Alyami puts this one to rest once and for all: Don’t do it. Always eat off a sanitary surface.

He even says that research has shown that bacteria from the floor can attach to food in as little as less than one second. Eating dirty food can lead to vomiting and stomach illnesses.