#AskAboutAbortion: Why Americans Deserve a Real Debate about Reproductive Freedom

On Wednesday October 19, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will face off in their final presidential debate. Of the many topics that have been debated so far throughout this cycle, there’s one that has been missing: abortion access.

Safe and reliable access to abortion is fundamental to all Americans’ ability to determine our own destinies, and is critical to the financial security and economic success of women and families. Yet since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, abortion access has been threatened and chipped away at by politicians who firmly believe that women are less than equal, and don’t deserve the right to make their own decisions about their bodies and lives. Currently, 89% of counties in the United States do not have an abortion provider, thanks to relentless attacks on abortion access. Anti-choice politicians have tried to make it nearly impossible for women to access the care they need, through discrimination in insurance coverage via the Hyde Amendment, the defunding of women’s health centers, and laws that impose medically unnecessary burdens on women seeking care.

These attacks on abortion access have resulted in a true crisis of access. But despite this ongoing crisis, candidates have not been provided the opportunity to debate this issue on the national stage.

Few issues are more personal and consequential to Americans than if, when and with whom they choose to start or grow a family. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have drastically different views on this issue. Hillary Clinton has outlined a plan to protect and expand reproductive rights by repealing the discriminatory Hyde Amendment, while Donald Trump has said that women who have an abortion should be punished. These real differences deserve to be teased out on the debate stage. They’re too important to be avoided.

It’s true that since at least 1984, debate moderators have asked questions about abortion. But those questions focused on extreme outlier cases, not issues of abortion access. It’s time for a moderator to #AskAboutAbortion in a way that reflects the true problems women face, and addresses the crisis of abortion access. We’ve teamed up with progressive partners to call on Chris Wallace, the moderator of Wednesday’s debate, to #AskAboutAbortion. Here are the questions we’ve suggested:

1. Among all of the barriers to accessing abortion care for American women, financial burdens rank highest. This is because the Hyde Amendment prevents low-income women from using public health insurance to access this medical service, and clinic closure laws have been so detrimental that it now requires considerable financial means to take time off work, find childcare and travel long distances to access abortion care. As president, how would you ensure that the constitutional right to abortion is guaranteed to all Americans, regardless of their financial situation?
2. The Zika virus is a threat faced by countless Americans, particularly in Florida, where you two are currently fairing evenly. Polls have shown that 6 in 10 voters believe a woman should be able to access abortion if she is infected with Zika. If elected president, would you allow a woman infected with Zika to access abortion, or would you restrict that access?
3. In Texas, where women’s health clinics have closed because of laws that put restrictions on their operations, maternal mortality has doubled. As president, what steps would you take to reverse maternal mortality in this country?

Voters deserve a robust debate on how to expand access to abortion so they can decide for themselves which candidate will do right by their family. This issue is too important to leave unaddressed. Make your voice heard—sign the petition calling on debate moderator Chris Wallace to #AskAboutAbortion this Wednesday!