The Harris-Walz campaign released a new ad on Wednesday featuring the story of a Texas woman who was denied access to an abortion under that state’s abortion ban—and almost died as a result.
In the ad, Ondrea and her husband explain that at 16 weeks of pregnancy, her water broke and doctors informed them that their much-wanted baby would not survive. This happened in 2022, after the conservative majority on the Supreme Court overturnedRoe v. Wade, triggering Texas’ abortion ban.
Three of the six justices who formed the court majority were appointed by Donald Trump, and all six were appointed by Republican presidents. Trump has praised the justices for the “genius” of their decision.
The state’s ban would not allow Ondrea to have an abortion, and she later developed a septic infection that led to a six-hour emergency surgery. That resulted in a massive incision from her breast to her pelvis; she had to stay in the hospital for three weeks because the wound would not close. The couple allowed photos of the wound and footage of Ondrea’s scar to be shown in the ad.
The ad juxtaposes the couple’s ordeal with audio of Trump bragging, “I am the one that got rid of Roe v. Wade.” Trump’s voice arguing in 2016 that “there has to be some sort of punishment” for an abortion also plays over footage of the thick scar bisecting Ondrea’s torso.
In a longer video released by the campaign, Ondrea places the blame for her trauma squarely on Trump.
“[Trump] did this to me. It almost cost me my life and it will affect me for the rest of my life,” she says. Her husband Ceasar adds, “Now we may never ever be able to get pregnant again.”
The Harris-Walz campaign said that it would also release a shorter version of the ad to be used in digital advertising targeting men in order to highlight the impact that abortion bans are having on them as well.
Reproductive freedom has been a central focus of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid. Her campaign has released several ads focusing on Trump’s defense of his actions and the fallout for people dealing with the consequences.
Harris supports the restoration of abortion rights and has advocated for federal legislation that will restore the protections of Roe v. Wade.
Harris will be visiting Houston, Texas, on Friday for a campaign rally alongside Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred. A House member, civil rights lawyer, and former NFL player, Allred has made abortion access a major part of his push to unseat GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, a longtime opponent of abortion rights.
Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.
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