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00:00Now according to recent polling abortion rights is beginning to take over from the economy as the primary cause of concern for American voters
00:07To take us through how the issue was treated during the debate between the two presidential candidates
00:12I'm joined by annette young the host of france 24's acclaimed 51 percent annette great to see you as always
00:19It didn't take long for abortion to be raised during the debate leading to one of the major falsehood maids
00:25By donald trump indeed and as a result a showdown between the two presidential nominees
00:30I think it's up there with his claim that immigrants were
00:33Responsoring are responsible for stealing and eating dogs in springwood, ohio was his equally baseless claim that the
00:42democrats want to
00:44Execute the baby by allowing abortions in the nine months of pregnancy
00:49And of course very quickly that claim naturally was corrected by both kamala harris and the moderators
00:55It did allow as a result
00:58Kamala harris very quickly within you know, I think 10 or so minutes of the debate starting to
01:04launch a stinging rebuke of trump and his
01:08Abortion policies as such criticizing him of course for nominating three of the supreme court judges who overturned roe v wade
01:16The national, you know protection of abortion rights in the u.s
01:21Back in 2022
01:22She said one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government and donald trump
01:29Should not be telling a woman what to do with the body adding that if she was to become president
01:35She would push congress
01:37to push
01:39to reinstate
01:41Roe v wade protections
01:44And trump in his, uh, you know
01:49Response to all of that boasted about his role in reversing the roe v wade
01:54But he also dodged repeated questions about whether he would implement a national abortion ban
02:02Having said that there's still a significant chunk of hardcore anti-abortion supporters in the republican party
02:08Who would like a national abortion pan?
02:11And if trump was back in power that proposal could very easily be back on the table
02:16It's clear by the way that kamala harris easily was the victor of this debate
02:21But I would also say the best thing for her was that of course within minutes of it finishing superstar taylor swift
02:29endorsing her
02:30Calling her a steady-handed gifted leader signing off the instagram post childless cat lady
02:36Something which of course would resonate a lot with women voters particularly young women voters. So let's
02:43Talk about where the two candidates stand on the issue of abortion
02:47Since the overturn of roe v wade kamala harris has become the white house's most prominent advocate for abortion rights
02:53She's also was the first ever vice president to actually visit
02:57An abortion clinic in recent years and as I said she's going to work hard if she's voted in as president
03:03to sign a law codifying
03:05Federal protections that existed under roe v wade
03:09But of course having said that she will find it very difficult because it would require democratic
03:14Majorities in both the house and the senate and that itself is an uphill battle for the party
03:21In addition, she said she will defend americans rights to access
03:26Contraception and in vitro fertilization both of which have come under fire from anti-abortion movement
03:34Um in response donald trump says that he's a reliable ally for
03:39Anti-abortion movement, of course pointing out regularly that he did appoint those three justices
03:45to the supreme court
03:47He's also he said worked hard during his term
03:50to
03:51Undercut access to abortion his health and human services department
03:56excluded health centers which supported family planning
04:00For low-income people if they refer patients for abortion
04:06But again, the key thing here is a national abortion abandoned
04:10That's what I suspect the democrats are going to continue campaign very heavily on in the weeks leading up to the election
04:17Annette polling showed that for the first time the issue of
04:22Reproductive rights is right up there with the economy. Is that likely to be the case on the 5th of november?
04:27You know, we're still what you know two months, you know
04:30And as you and I know a week is a short time, you know in when it comes to politics. Um
04:37recent polling by the 19th news website
04:40Uh has shown that abortion is indeed gaining on the economy as an importance
04:45As an issue of importance for voters particularly in the battleground states and that's very important
04:51It also shows that half people in states where abortion is banned are saying that the laws in their states are way too
04:58Restrictive and there is a need to effectively strike the right balance
05:02But most importantly take a look at these graphics which show
05:07Google trend search this was before the debate
05:13um
05:14And you see their crime social security health care and unemployment all being issues of importance
05:21Now, let's go to the next graphic
05:23And uh, which hopefully should come up
05:26And what was the primary issue during the debate abortion with only ohio?
05:31Because of those, you know claims in regards to immigrants stealing dogs and eating them
05:36Capturing or you know the interest of people about ohio, but abortion effectively
05:42Running the show the democrats know this they saw it in the midterms
05:47We were in kentucky for the 51 back then and we were interviewing people
05:52In that republican state, you know
05:54It's a very conservative state and we were seeing as we went out with pro-choice campaigners
05:59That when they went to talk to women who said they voted republican
06:03The vast majority of them were telling these activists that they felt this time the government had gone too far
06:09And that's something that I suspect the democrats are going to seize upon and run with in the days leading up to november 5
06:17Uh, thank you very much for that annette annette young there