In the initial Democratic National Convention following Roe, narratives regarding abortions hold prominent positions.
"We haven't witnessed a gathering like this, where it's been reproductive rights every single evening," stated Mini Timmaraju, the president of Reproductive Freedom for All and one of Wednesday's speakers, to CNN.
Reproductive rights have consistently been a central theme in Democratic conventions, particularly in 2016, when Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and advocates for reproductive rights expressed concerns about Donald Trump potentially appointing Supreme Court justices who might nullify Roe v. Wade.
These apprehensions have become a reality. Approximately twenty states have implemented reproductive rights limitations since the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision revoked Roe. The aftermath of that ruling has sparked an upsurge in political activity, boosting Democrats, who performed better than expected in the midterm elections. In 2024, Democrats hope that the ongoing frustration over restrictions, along with some key battleground states' reproductive rights ballot initiatives, will aid their candidates.
Before ascending to the vice presidency, Kamala Harris had already incorporated reproductive rights into her policy advocacy. In March, she became the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion clinic, touring a Minnesota Planned Parenthood with Gov. Tim Walz.
Now, reproductive rights groups have shifted their narrative to highlighting the experiences of women – as well as their families and healthcare providers – who have been affected by post-Roe restrictions. They have also brought attention to other reproductive health care services, including contraception and access to IVF.
They also maintain that these electoral victories are sustainable.
Timmaraju plans to use her speech to contrast Trump's record with Harris and Walz's agenda and note the success of previous ballot initiatives. She, along with others like Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Alexis McGill Johnson, will address the third night of the DNC: "A Fight for Our Freedoms."
The narrative of storytellers
However, Wednesday will emphasize major reproductive rights organizations. In contrast, Monday focused on what the movement calls "storytellers," advocates who share their personal narratives.
Against a black backdrop, Amanda Zurawski, alongside her husband, spoke about her ordeal of being denied an abortion in Texas after her water broke at 18 weeks. Zurawski later contracted sepsis. Kaitlyn Joshua discussed being denied miscarriage care in Louisiana.
Hadley Duvall, who appeared in an advertisement supporting Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's reelection campaign last year, narrated her experience of becoming pregnant at 12 after being raped by her stepfather and having the choice to abort. Kentucky's abortion ban fails to provide exceptions for victims of rape or incest.
“I can't fathom not having a choice, but today that's the reality for many women and girls across the nation due to Donald Trump’s abortion bans,” stated Duvall, now in her early 20s.
She also referenced Trump's praise of states' ability to legislate their own abortion laws, which he expounded upon during a June Fox News interview as ‘in many ways, a beautiful thing to watch.’
“He finds it beautiful,” Duvall said. “What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her abuser’s child?”
Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, believes this convention is an opportunity to discuss abortion through the lens of patients, their families, and their medical providers' actual experiences.
“There are tales everywhere,” Richards, who is also the co-founder of Charley, a chatbot that aids individuals in seeking abortions, told CNN. “I expect, and I hope, what the convention can do is give a name and a face to real people whose lives have been affected.”
Texas Democrats featured reproductive rights advocates during Tuesday night's roll call. Alongside Richards, the state's delegate tally was announced by Kate Cox, a Texas woman who sued for the right to receive an abortion after her fetus was diagnosed with a rare and fatal genetic condition.
Cox, who eventually left the state to have an abortion, told the court that carrying the pregnancy would risk her life and potential for future pregnancies.
“There's nothing family-oriented about abortion bans,” Cox, now pregnant again, said during Tuesday’s roll call.
Cox expressed hope to hear from other reproductive rights storytellers at the convention and to continue sharing her own narrative.
“You believe it won't happen to you until it does,” Cox told CNN.
Abortion rights groups have also gathered in Chicago. Free & Just, which advocates for federal abortion protections, concluded its month-long “Ride to Decide” bus tour in the city this week.
The tour, which started in Wisconsin during the Republican National Convention, aimed to showcase the stories of individuals affected by reproductive rights restrictions. Speakers during the DNC like Joshua, Zurawski, and Cox were included in the tour.
“It's a new form of storytelling, given that the consequences of Roe's revocation have meant that women's health care is in crisis,” said Veronica Ingham, Free & Just’s campaign manager.
IVF's prominence
Democrats aren't solely focusing on abortion access. The party has recently placed IVF as a campaign issue after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that embryos generated through treatment should be considered children in wrongful-death lawsuits, leading providers in the state to halt treatment.
Republicans have sought to affirm their support for the treatment. Alabama's Republican-led legislature swiftly acted to safeguard clinics from liability after the court ruling, and US Senate Republicans introduced legislation to prohibit states from banning the procedure.
Senate Republicans previously hindered a Democratic proposal, which aimed to establish a federal privilege for IVF treatment and make it more affordable. Dems have additionally focused on GOP politicians for backing legislation asserting life originates at conception. This, according to reproductive rights activists, may potentially impinge upon IVF access as well.
During her prime-time address on Tuesday, ex-First Lady Michelle Obama disclosed that she had her children through IVF, and expressed her concern that Republicans might strip away individuals' rights.
On Tuesday, Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, who became the first senator to give birth while in office, expressed in her speech that she dealt with infertility for a decade before eventually conceiving her daughters through IVF.
As Duckworth stated on Tuesday, "If they succeed, Republicans won't limit themselves to abortion bans. They'll go after IVF next."
In light of the Dobbs decision, politicians have leveraged reproductive rights as a key issue in elections. Since 2022, numerous policies restricting reproductive rights have been implemented in approximately twenty states.
The ongoing debates over reproductive rights in politics have sparked significant interest among Democrats, leading to an increase in political participation and improved election results.
