• by Barbara Lippert , Columnist, July 19, 2024

These are the times that try Dems’ souls.

As of this writing, Joe Biden is still the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, although some in the party and major donors continue to urge him to step down.

With the Democratic convention just one month away, this situation is dispiriting, to say the least.

Especially since the Dems are still in stasis, while the recent Republican convention featured a “unity” theme, exemplified by the wrestler Hulk Hogan‘s shirt-ripping devotion to his friend Donald Trump.

Still, one phrase that historically had been a key underpinning of the Republican platform was never mentioned on the Milwaukee stage: the right to life.

Before the convention, Trump’s newly named running mate, Ohio senator J D Vance, had been extremely vocal about his belief in a total national abortion ban, no exceptions, even for the life of the mother, or for cases of rape or incest.

But in his friendly, folksy Wednesday night address, he never got near the subject.

The same goes for the former President during his historically lengthy Thursday night acceptance speech.

Whereas four years ago at the 2020 Republican convention, Trump could not have been more fired-up. “Democrat politicians refuse to protect innocent life, and then they lecture us about morality and saving America’s soul?” he thundered. “Tonight, we proudly declare that all children, born and unborn, have a god-given right to life.”

Of course, DJT’s elevation of three Christian-conservative judges to the Supreme Court paved the way for the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.  And he has always been proud to take credit for that, as the “person most responsible.”

Still, the sudden Republican silence on that subject seems strategic. 

Post-Roe, it has become clear that banning abortion is a proven loser among voters, especially women. And voters in such red or red-leaning states as Kentucky, Kansas and Ohio have already shown up at the ballot box to protect abortion access.

By sharp contrast, the fight for reproductive rights has always been a central covenant for the Democratic party. But it resonates now more than ever in a post-Roe world that could also put birth control and IVF on the block.

Out of respect to that tragic event, the Biden reelection campaign paused its ads for about four days after the assassination attempt against Trump.

But by Wednesday, they were back, running a powerful and hard-hitting 60-second spot in swing state markets.  A different version of the spot had helped Democrat Andy Beshear win the Governorship of Kentucky against pro-life Republican Daniel Cameron.

It’s so stripped-down and unvarnished that Hadley Duvall, the 20something Kentucky abortion-rights advocate featured in it, is shown at a sink washing her face, and later looking at herself in a mirror and applying mascara as she talks.

It’s a physical action, a visual metaphor for truth and honesty, and a way to temper the shocking, heartbreaking story about her childhood that  she’s about to reveal.

Duvall is direct and frank as she discusses being impregnated at age 12 by her sexually abusive stepfather.

(A title card reveals that her stepfather started raping her at age five.)

Getting direct testimony from the source is the unimpeachable way to present this upsetting reality.

“When I was a kid,” she continues, “I had always wondered, sitting in class, like, do these people go home, and are they afraid of their dad too?”

Then she puts it in context.

“When Roe v. Wade was overturned, immediately I just thought about being 12, and first thing that was told to me when I saw that positive pregnancy test was, ‘you have options,’” Duvall tells viewers. “And you know, if Roe v. Wade would have been overturned sooner, I wouldn’t have heard that. And then it had me thinking that there’s someone who doesn’t get to hear that now.” 

She then calls out Biden’s opponents.

“Trump and J D Vance don’t care about women. They don’t care about girls in this situation,” Duvall says.

“Girls like me across the country are suffering. Their futures are being ripped away.”

She ends with “They will continue to take our rights away. In this election, we have a choice.”

That’s followed with the voice of the presumptive candidate: “I’m Joe Biden, and I approve this message,” along with a flash of the Biden/Harris logo.

It’s a hell of a way to address such a heavy and necessary subject.  Bravo for having the guts to do it, Hadley.