Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Kamala Harris slams Republicans for ‘weaponising’ abortion issue

Kamala Harris slams Republicans for ‘weaponising’ abortion issue

AMERICAN vice president Kamala Harris has said the potential Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade represents an attack on women and lashed out at Republicans for "weaponising" the issue.

Her remarks offered a first glimpse of how the White House might use the battle for abortion rights to energise voters in the upcoming midterm elections.

"Some Republican leaders are trying to weaponise the use of the law against women. How dare they. How dare they tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her own body. How dare they try to stop her from determining her own future. How dare they try to deny women their rights and their freedoms," Harris said on Tuesday (3).

"If the court overturns Roe v. Wade, it will be a direct assault on freedom," Harris, a Democrat, told attendees at a gala hosted by Emily's List, an organisation which works to get abortion-rights Democrats elected to office.

The event comes after a draft Supreme Court decision, leaked late on Monday (2), showed that the court's conservative majority is prepared to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing a women's right to an abortion. The court confirmed the authenticity of the leaked document.

Harris’ speech was planned before the leak of the ruling, but has taken on added meaning.

Harris is a natural choice for the Biden administration to raise the issue on the midterm campaign trail if the Supreme Court adopts a version of the draft opinion and throws away five decades of federal protection of abortion rights.

Republicans are expected to take control of the House of Representatives and perhaps the Senate after the midterm elections in November, but Democrats are now seeking to use the abortion issue to energize voters. Democrats now hold a narrow majority in both chambers.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans said they are more likely to back candidates who support the right to abortion in the November midterm elections, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on Tuesday (3).

The vice president has long championed women’s health, particularly related to abortion rights.

Harris, who has won awards from abortion rights groups, spoke at Emily’s List’s 30th anniversary gala in 2015 after launching her Senate bid, making a trip to Washington to address the group before even speaking about her campaign in her home state of California.

On Tuesday, she said the last 24 hours have made it clear where Democrats and Republicans stand.

Experts estimate that about one in four women will obtain an abortion in her lifetime, of whom 75 per cent are low-income, 59 per cent are already mothers, and 55 per cent are experiencing disruptive life events such as losing a job, according to Caitlin Myers, an economics professor with a focus on the effects of reproductive policies at Middlebury College.

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less