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US Election 2024: While abortion is an emotional issue for many Americans, jobs, economy, immigration and healthcare are also their top concerns. Let us look at what Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’ policy pledges are
Republican voters are satisfied with the fact that US states can make their own abortion laws, which is why the issue is not at the top of their voting agenda. (Getty Images)
Abortion is an emotional issue for many Americans who vote for their next President on November 5. Besides, jobs, economy, migration and healthcare are another important concerns, which pull the American voters to the ballot box.
The 1973 Roe V Wade decision gave the American women the right to terminate their pregnancy, saying that individual states can now permit or restrict the procedure themselves. In 2022, however, the Supreme Court ended the right to abortion.
How Trump Win Would Impact Abortion Rights?
Democrats rank abortion as the third-most important issue for voters, with only healthcare and Supreme Court appointments of even greater importance, according to a poll conducted between late August and early September by the Pew Research Center.
The Pew poll also found that the economy, immigration and the fight against violent crime were the three most important issues for Republican voters. Abortion is the third-least important issue.
If Trump wins the presidential election, Republicans could introduce further restrictions that would make it difficult for women to get abortions.
Trump has boasted of appointing three Supreme Court justices whose votes were decisive in overturning Roe. “I did a great service in doing it,” he said, adding that, “it took courage to do it, and the Supreme Court had great courage in doing it.” He has vowed as president he would not sign a national abortion ban. He has also said if he wins he would make IVF free for women.
Republican voters are satisfied with the fact that US states can make their own abortion laws, which is why the issue is not at the top of the voting agenda for many of them, according to a report by Deutsche Welle.
Harris has made abortion as key aspect of her campaign and said she would safeguard reproductive rights nationwide. Harris pledged to protect access to contraception and other fertility treatments such as IVF.
Abortion played a “decisive role” in the 2022 midterms despite predictions that swing voters would be more motivated by economic concerns, NBC News quoted Diana Mutz, director of the Institute for the Study of Citizens and Politics at the University of Pennsylvania, as saying. She expects it could drive votes again this year.
Who Stands Where On Other Issues?
Economy & Taxes: As inflation and high interest continue to hit Americans, Vice-President Kamala Harris has promised to mortgage assistance for first-time homebuyers, a tax credit for parents of newborns, tax breaks for entrepreneurs and small business owner, and bans on price gouging at the grocery store. Trump has promised to “end inflation and make America affordable again”. Most of his inflation-reduction plan hinges on expanding oil and gas drilling and deregulation.
Jobs: Even though the job market is upbeat, the jobless rate has risen in recent months. One reason for that is the Fed opted to cut rates last month. Wages have been growing faster than inflation since May 2023, helping to dig some households out of the financial hole created by soaring prices, as per CBS News. em>The New York Times found in a recent analysis of Census data that white men without a bachelor’s degree earned more than than the typical worker in 1980. But now this group of workers earns much less than the average American, while women with college degrees have surpassed them in income.
Border Security and Immigration: Harris has reiterated her continued support for the cross-party border security bill that would have included hundreds of millions of dollars for border wall construction. She has also called for a comprehensive immigration reform, including pathways to citizenship for undocumented people, especially those who were brought to the US as children. Trump has vowed to carry out the biggest mass deportation operation in the US history. He has said he would reinstate several policies from his first term, including the ‘Remain in Mexico’ programme, Title 42 and a travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority nations. He has also suggested that he would end birthright citizenship for the US-born children of undocumented people. He has vowed to seal the border by completing the construction of a wall and increasing enforcement.
Foreign Policy: Trump has an isolationist foreign policy and wants the US to disengage itself from the conflicts around the world. He has claimed that he would end the Ukraine war in 24 hours through negotiation with Russia. Despite his history of antisemitic remarks, Trump has portrayed himself as a champion of Israel. Though he says he supports Israel’s mission, he has been critical of its tactics. On China, Trump has said he would take a much stronger stand against China in his second term, but has refrained from saying whether he would send troops if China invaded Taiwan. Harris has spoken in support of western security alliance NATO and denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Her approach towards the Middle East crisis has pretty much been supportive of Israel’s widening war that now includes Iran, Lebanon and Yemen. Like Biden, Harris has called for a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023. On China, she has hinted at continuation of Biden’s tough-on-China approach and said she would honor the US’s commitments to Taiwan.
Climate Change: Harris defended California’s climate laws and sued oil companies for environmental damage. She also called for climate change policies via a “Green New Deal” during her 2020 presidential campaign. Trump has said he will continue to roll back environmental regulations, and prioritise clean air and water for Americans. During his first term, he dismantled many environmental policies, including protections for clean air and water as well as regulations aimed at reducing planet-warming emissions. In this campaign he has vowed to expand Arctic drilling and attacked electric cars.