Posted by By Bailey Kane, Staff Writer
Although our nation is called the United States, this day in age we aren’t united on much, are we? Age of consent ranges from 14-18 across the country, as does the driving age. However there is one age-restricted law that all fifty states agree on–voting. As someone who is 16, I don’t meet that standard and won’t for two more years. Although every channel and newspaper has a voter’s perspective of this upcoming election, I am offering a new viewpoint, one that is of a young woman who has to sit back and watch everyone decide my future for me.
A long awaited debate between Harris and Trump took place on September 10th. Like 67 million other Americans, I tuned into the debate that Tuesday night. What was, and wasn’t said speaks to the hands that our country will be left in for the next four years.
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24th, 2022, the rights of abortion and bodily autonomy has been plastered over all news outlets since the supreme court’s ruling. As expected, these topics started a heated debate between the candidates, with Harris even going as far to say “Trump will sign a national abortion ban.” But before that, Trump reminded all viewers that it was under his presidency that the ruling of Roe v. Wade was overturned, “we’ve gotten what everybody wanted,” which to him was the movement of abortion laws from a national level to a state decision. Trump then claimed that Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, said that under the Harris administration, abortion in the 7th, 8th, and 9th month would be legal, as well as after birth. Before Harris could respond, Linsey Davis, an ABC journalist and co-anchor of the debate, informed the former president that in no state is execution after birth legal. With this debate being the first to allow the hosting journalists to fact-check the candidates in real time, it bestows a responsibility upon them to cut through every piece of misinformation heard to allow the American people to readily see the truth. Without it, the candidates words are taken as fact without an impartial third party protecting any and all viewers from misinformation.
“The government, and Donald Trump certainly, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.”
Vice President, Kamala Harris
A sister topic to abortion is IVF and the access that the American people will have to it under both possible administrations. During a past democratic rally, Tim Walz had announced that he and his ex-wife struggled to conceive and that the only reason their children exist today is due to their access to IVF treatments. During the debate, Harris expressed her distaste for the fact that “couples who pray and dream of a family are being denied IVF treatment.” In response, Trump then claimed that he has “been a leader on fertilization IVF,” although in his last presidency he didn’t make any laws to protect those rights. To end the conversation, Harris said, “The government, and Donald Trump certainly, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.”
“What’s going on here, we are going to end up in World War lll”
Former President Trump
The animosity between the candidates only escalated as the topic of deportation and violent crimes were brought up. David Muir, the other ABC co-anchor of the debate, kicked off the exchange with providing background that illegal border crossings hit a record high during the Biden administration. He then directs the question towards Harris “Why did you wait until six months before the election to act, and would you have done anything differently from president Biden?” Within Harris’ first sentence, she claimed that she was “the only person on this stage who has prosecuted trans-national organizations for the trafficking of drugs, guns, and human beings.” She then continued to do something the American people have never seen before, Harris invited her supporters to go to a Trump rally and see how “he talks about fictional characters” and claims that “windmills cause cancer.” In response to the rallies comment, not speaking on immigration concerns, Trump retorted “people don’t go to her rallies, there’s no reason to go.” After continuing to avoid speaking on the original question, Trump finally said “What’s going on here, we are going to end up in World War lll”
Graphic by Ady Laurie
With international relations and the United States role in the Israel-Palestine conflict becoming a more prevalent issue in the media, the immediate jump to ensuring that World War lll is upon us speaks a lot to Trump’s character. In an effort to look good in the media before announcing entering into the running, Trump decided to attack her personally. Not only did Trump fall to a level of immaturity, Harris chose to take the low road as well and scoff at Trump’s responses to questions multiple times. This led many people to claim that the debate was “childlike” and “uncivil.” How are these candidates supposed to control an entire country if they can’t maintain a single mature conversation with their opponent?
Throughout the 90 minutes that the Former President Trump and Vice President Harris debated, the topics ranged from gun rights to the Israel-Palestine crisis. All Americans watching witnessed their future unfold, myself included. Knowing that my rights to my own body rest in the hands of people I have not, and will never meet, is incredibly unsettling. There is only one way to help yourself and your fellow Americans–vote, November 5th.
The Maroon 