Abortion rights take centrestage as Beyonce backs Harris in Texas

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump took a detour from barnstorming the battleground states that will decide November’s election with Friday stops in Texas, a conservative state that was the first to implement a near-total abortion ban.

Texas hasn’t backed a Democratic president since 1976, and Republican Trump is almost certain to win the state’s 40 electoral college votes. But Democrats are betting it will provide a powerful backdrop for Vice-President Harris to talk about abortion rights in the final days before the November 5 election.

Superstar singer Beyonce, who was born in Houston, fired up the crowd by introducing Harris, who came on stage to a recording of Beyonce’s song Freedom, which has made her campaign anthem.

She did not sing however.

Harris talked about the danger former president Trump and Republicans could present to abortion rights across the country if he’s elected, a campaign source said. Harris was joined by women who have suffered after Texas’ anti-abortion regulations were passed, and their family members. “Texas, what is happening across this state and our country is a health care crisis, and Donald Trump is the architect of it,” Harris said.

Texas implemented a first-of-its kind law in September 2021 that banned abortion after six weeks and allowed anyone to sue abortion patients in violation, and those who assisted them.

The US Supreme Court, with a conservative majority formed by Trump’s judicial appointments, allowed the law to stand, and then gutted federal abortion rights by overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022.

In between personal stories of abortion-related tragedy, and before Beyonce took the stage, the rally took on the air of a dance party, with people swaying and singing along to a DJ.

While Beyonce appealed to a younger crowd, 91-year-old Willie Nelson showed earlier in the event that he still has cachet in his native Texas.

“Are we ready to say madam president?” Nelson asked the crowd.