WASHINGTON – A 22-year-old woman who became defender of abortion rights after being raped by her stepfather as a child, will campaign with First Lady Jill Biden in Pennsylvania this weekend as part of a 2024 election campaign near the anniversary of the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Hadley Duvall of Owensboro, KentuckyHe told his story publicly for the first time last fall, in a campaign ad for the gubernatorial race in his home state, discussing the consequences of abortion restrictions, especially those without exceptions for rape or incest.
In the announcement supporting Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, Duvall spoke about how she was raped by her stepfather at age 12, became pregnant and had an abortion. Her stepfather was convicted of rape and is in prison.
In the ad, Duvall called out the anti-abortion Republican candidate by name and said that “anyone who believes there should be no exceptions for rape and incest could never understand what it’s like to be in my shoes.”
Beshear was re-electedand Democrats said Duvall’s announcement was a strong motivator, especially for rural male voters who had already voted for Republican Donald Trump for president.
Now, Duvall is turning his attention to the White House election.
She plans to appear with first lady Jill Biden at a rally in Pittsburgh on Sunday that is part of President Joe Biden’s effort to motivate voters on abortion rights, and Duvall will continue to campaign for the Democratic nominee. Jill Biden will also hold an event in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
The Supreme Court decided on June 24, 2022 to nullify the right to abortion that had existed since 1973. Since then, about half of states have had some type of ban in effect, and 10 states have no exceptions for rape or incest. The consequences of these bans go far beyond restricting access to those who want to end unwanted pregnancies.
“Survivors like me have our childhoods taken from us and it is something we are healing every day. At the very least, we deserve to have our own choices,” Duvall said in a statement to the Associated Press. “But because of Donald Trump, right now there are abortion bans across the country, with no exceptions for rape or incest. I feel like I owe it to myself and a lot of girls to speak out. They can’t speak and I can – and our lives and futures are at stake in this election.”
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has repeatedly taken credit for nullifying the federally guaranteed right to abortion. He named three of the Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. But he publicly resisted supporting a national abortion ban.
The events in Pennsylvania are part of a larger campaign surrounding the anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. That effort began this week with events from Vice President Kamala Harris.
The campaign is holding more than 35 events across the country, including in the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia. Events feature women and doctors who were deeply impacted by the downfall of Roe, including Amanda Zurawski and Kaityln Joshuawho said abortion restrictions put them in medical danger.
Most U.S. adultsincluding those who live in states with the strictest limits on abortion, want it to be legal at least during the early stages of pregnancy, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
In the two years since Roe’s death, reproductive health in the U.S. has become increasingly concerning, and Biden and Democrats have sought to highlight the growing consequences as a reason to re-elect the president.
Women who never intended to terminate a pregnancy they almost died because they couldn’t get emergency treatment. Abortion care was delayed. Routine reproductive health care is running out in states with strict bans. Fertility treatments have been temporarily halted in Alabama.
Duvall is a senior at Midway University in Midway, Kentucky. She has also spoken publicly about a state bill that would provide narrowly tailored exceptions to the state’s abortion law.
The AP does not normally identify victims of sexual violence, but Duvall chose to be identified and spoke publicly about her experience and its connection to the abortion debate.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
