Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Harris Takes A Stand: 'It's Outrageous' None Of The Previous Debates Have Focused On Reproductive Health Care
The New York Times: Kamala Harris Calls For Attention On Reproductive Rights At Debate
Senator Kamala Harris of California made an impassioned plea on Tuesday for her fellow presidential candidates to focus on women’s access to reproductive health care, generating applause. “This is the sixth debate we have had in this presidential cycle,” she said at the night’s debate in Ohio. “And not nearly one word, with all of these discussions about health care, on women’s access to reproductive health care, which is under full-on attack in America today. And it’s outrageous.” (Murphy, 10/15)
Los Angeles Times: Kamala Harris Slams Republicans On Abortion, Says They're Killing Poor Women Of Color
“There are states that have passed laws that will virtually prevent women from having access to reproductive healthcare,” she said at the CNN/New York Times debate in Westerville, Ohio. “And it is not an exaggeration to say women will die. Poor women, women of color will die because these Republican legislatures in these various states who are out of touch with America are telling women what to do with their bodies.” Harris hadn’t been asked about abortion. But when her turn came to respond to comments by other candidates on healthcare, she raised her voice in protest. The crowd cheered Harris several times. (Finnegan, 10/15)
Time: October Democratic Debate Recap: Top 11 Biggest Takeaways
Harris said she’d have the Department of Justice review state legislature’s laws before they can take effect; Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg said he’d consider adding judges to the Supreme Court to preserve Roe v. Wade; and former Housing Secretary Julián Castro lobbied for term limits for appellate court justices. Others suggested codifying Roe v. Wade. (Vesoulis, 10/16)
Vox: Democratic Debate Highlights: Best And Most Substantive Answers Of The Night
Harris’s response was echoed by Sen. Cory Booker soon after, noting that two Planned Parenthood clinics had recently closed in Ohio, where the debate was being held. “We are seeing all over this country women’s reproductive rights under attack,” he said. “God bless Kamala. Women should not be the only ones taking up this cause and this fight.” (Stewart, North, Golshan, Samuel and Kirby, 10/15)
HuffPost: 4 Debates In, Democrats Finally Got The Chance To Talk Abortion Rights
Gabbard, Klobuchar and Warren agreed that Roe v. Wade, the historic 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortions in the U.S., should be codified. Both Buttigieg and Castro supported enforcing term limits for Supreme Court justices and de-politicizing the court as much as possible. Booker said that if he were voted in as president he would create an office of reproductive freedom that would oversee reproductive protections. The senator from New Jersey also pointed out that the attack on reproductive rights is about privilege as much as it is about sexism. (Vagianos, 10/15)
Vox: Democratic Debate: Kamala Harris Brought Up Abortion Rights
Back in 2016, reproductive justice activist Renee Bracey Sherman started the hashtag #AskAboutAbortion because the issue wasn’t getting enough attention in debates at the time. Three years and one presidential election cycle later, the issue still isn’t getting much airtime on the stage. Reproductive rights did get a substantive discussion in a debate in June, when Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Amy Klobuchar sparred over who had done more to expand access. But at subsequent debates, the issue got less and less attention, and in the third debate in September, reproductive rights weren’t mentioned at all. After the debate, Harris voiced her displeasure, tweeting that the debate “was three hours long and not one question about abortion or reproductive rights.” (North, 10/15)
The Hill: Booker On Reproductive Rights: 'Women Should Not Be The Only Ones Taking Up This Cause And This Fight'
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said during Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate that more men need to be standing up for women's reproductive rights, which he said are under attack in America. "Women should not be the only ones taking up this cause and this fight," Booker said during the event in Ohio. "It's not just because women are our daughters and our friends and our wives. It's because women are people," he added. (Klar, 10/15)
