Harris-Walz “Reproductive Freedom” bus stops in Flagstaff

Brisa Karow | Published by The Lumberjack

Oct. 18, 2024

This article contains mention of sexual assault, rape and incest, which may be disturbing to readers.

The Harris-Walz campaign’s “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” bus tour stopped in Flagstaff Tuesday at Late for the Train Coffee to encourage voters to consider reproductive rights when heading to the polls this election season. 

Nearly a week after early voting opened in Arizona, the state became a hotspot for election campaign events with appearances from major party candidates. 

The “Reproductive Freedom” bus tour began its Arizona portion of the Democratic nominees’ abortion rights campaign last week in Phoenix and is scheduled to make four other stops throughout the battleground state. It is part of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s efforts to mobilize voters in divided states through reproductive rights. 

Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett spoke alongside abortion rights advocate Hadley Duvall and Coconino County Treasurer Sarah Benatar in support of the Harris-Walz ticket. Each encouraged attendees to vote blue for every issue on the ballot. 

“We need to elect Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz as well as Democrats up and down the ballot,” Daggett said. “We need to do this to truly protect our rights.”

Harris told Wisconsin Public Radio in September she plans to revisit the protections of Roe v. Wade, which established a constitutional right to abortion.

Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, former President Donald Trump has said abortion law should be left for states to decide rather than the federal government. Recently, he criticized some states for being “too tough” with their abortion restrictions. 

In Arizona, abortion law sits at a 15-week ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. 

Many in the state, however, remain confused about abortion legality after the Arizona Supreme Court upheld an 1864 law that implemented a near-total ban in April. The 160-year-old law was officially repealed in September after Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill in May against it.

A proposed amendment to current law, the Arizona Abortion Access Act, made its way to state ballots after the April ruling. If passed, it would establish a “fundamental right to abortion” before fetal viability — around 24 weeks into pregnancy — and provide more protections for pregnant individuals. 

“This fall, we have an opportunity to pass Prop. 139 to protect reproductive freedom in our state constitution,” Daggett said. “The vast majority of Arizonans support this amendment, and we all need to do our part to get it over the finish line.”

According to a September New York Times and Siena College poll, 58% of Arizona voters support Proposition 139. It also showed Trump leading Harris by 5% in the state.

The speakers at the early voting event warned attendees another Trump administration would restrict reproductive rights nationwide. 

Duvall, a 22-year-old from Kentucky, began advocating for abortion rights after Roe v. Wade was overturned. She joined the Harris-Walz campaign at the Democratic National Convention and shared her story of the sexual assault and rape she endured from her stepfather.

Duvall said when he impregnated her at age 12, she held onto the fact that she had options.

“And now, women and girls across the country, right here in Arizona, all the way in my home state of Kentucky, don’t have that freedom, and that’s because Donald Trump ripped it right from them,” Duvall said.     

She cited the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 as cause for concern, labeling it “a dangerous blueprint for Trump’s second term.” 

During the presidential debate in September, Trump said he has no connection to the 920-page plan that details what the next Republican administration should look like. However, Democrats have continued to point out that his Trump Force 47 agenda overlaps with the project on certain issues, including immigration, education, LGBTQ+ programs and climate policy.

Duvall last visited Flagstaff in early September for a stop on the “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour. Her return comes three weeks from Election Day in Arizona, where Duvall said she wished she could cast a vote.

“I really like to come out to the places where people need to know how important their voices are,” Duvall said.

In 2020, President Joe Biden won Arizona by 10,457 votes. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes won her race by an even narrower margin of 280 votes. 

The swing state is one of seven in the country that could come down to young voters’ decisions. More than 187,000 Arizonans are first-time voters and, of that number, more are nonpartisan and less Republican than the overall state voting population, according to an Arizona Republic voter registration analysis. 

The “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” bus tour is scheduled to make 60 stops in key states this fall, passing through red and blue communities and promoting early voting. 

Arizona’s early voting period ends Nov. 1. The last day to request an early ballot by mail is Oct. 25. More information on voting in Coconino County can be found on the county’s elections website.