Heart of nation at stake

Can a pledge to protect reproductive rights help Kamala Harris become the first woman to win the White Abortion has never been so close to the heart of an American presidential election, but this is the first to be held after access to the procedure was banned or restricted across much of the country, following a landmark Supreme Court ruling.

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A total of 10 states are holding referendums on the issue, and those questions will appear on the same ballots used to cast presidential votes.

The outcome could have profound implications, with the potential for restrictions affecting millions of women to be overturned. But Democrats also hope the issue will mobilise a broader swath of the electorate in their favour.

"Mobilisation is typically what determines the outcome of an election," Samara Klar, a professor of political science at the University of Arizona, said, adding women voters in states where abortion was under threat helped the Democratic Party exceed expectations in the 2022 midterms.