By, Molly McElwee
Abortion is one of the social issues that most divides millennial opinion with over 40% of the demographic arguing for and over 40% arguing against its legality. Though recent polls show Americans shy away from the labels "pro-life" and "pro-choice", the issue is undoubtedly on their radar, and it was about time the candidates address such a contentious issue directly when the subject was brought up in the third and final Presidential Debate on October 19th.
Unsurprisingly Donald Trump and Secretary Clinton's views were distinctly polarized. As per usual, Trump's less than politically correct choice of words garnered a huge amount of attention. His response to late-term and partial birth abortions was that of deep opposition; 'You can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month on the final day. And that's not acceptable.'
His graphic language bore steep reactions from the media and even medical practitioners who highlighted the misleading message this could send in what are often extremely case-sensitive procedures. Even more strikingly, women who have undergone the Caesarean-style abortion described so tastelessly by Trump have begun to pen articles and speak out on their experiences to try to diffuse what Clinton described as 'scare rhetoric' during the debate.
Trump also highlighted how, if elected President, his choice of pro-life judges would undoubtedly fuel pro-life policy. When pressed on his position in potentially overturning Roe vs. Wade he was evasive, but ultimately said it would happen 'automatically' as a result of the judges he would choose, and that the decision 'will go back to the states, and the states will then make a determination.'
His support of states determining their own abortion legislation separates him from the majority of 18-34 year-olds, who favor federal government deciding such legislation.
Currently there is huge disparity in access to an abortion depending on the state in which you live. Particularly, 27 states enforce a waiting period of up to 72-hours between the original consultation at a clinic and the actual procedure to take place. Moreover, 17 of these states also require women to take state mandated counseling before an abortion can take place, which includes descriptions of fetal pain, potential negative mental health effects of electing to have an abortion and breast cancer risks. More obviously, some states have so few clinics providing abortions that women can be forced to travel hundreds of miles to access the service.
Clinton addressed this issue in the debate, saying, 'So many states are putting very stringent regulations on women that block them from exercising [their] choice'. She took perhaps her most staunch stance on the issue since the beginning of the election cycle, emphatically disputing Trump's suggestion on overturning Roe v. Wade; 'we have come too far to have that turned back now.'
The candidates' vocalization of such disparate views cannot be underestimated. A Gallup poll found that more than a fifth of people see it as a decisive factor in the election, and will only vote for a candidate if they share the same views on abortion, and another 46% of people see it as one of many important factors in their decision come November 8.