Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) raised more than $160,000 for abortion rights groups on Wednesday, after Alabama passed legislation that essentially bars women from obtaining the medical procedure in the state.
Harris’ fundraising email to her supporters, first sent out around noon on Wednesday, compared what was happening in Alabama to the dystopian book and TV series, “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
“Outlawing access to abortion ― including in cases of rape or incest. Threatening to punish doctors who provide abortion care with up to 99 years of jail time. This isn’t a scene from The Handmaid’s Tale. This is happening in Alabama ― in our country ― in the year 2019,” read the email.
The message asked people to donate money that would be split among four groups fighting for abortion rights: the Yellowhammer Fund, the Clinic Vest Project, ARC Southeast and the National Network of Abortion Funds.
The email message was sent out again around 7 p.m., and was posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Harris was one of the few 2020 presidential candidates to send out a fundraising solicitation for abortion rights groups. Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, asked his supporters to raise money for NARAL. His campaign didn’t return a request for details about how much money he has raised.
On Wednesday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed into law the strictest anti-abortion bill in the country. It outlaws all abortions, except when the mother’s life is at risk; there are no exceptions for women or girls who have been victims of rape or incest. Performing the procedure would be considered a Class A felony, punishable by up to 99 years in prison.
The law is intended to be a challenge to Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court case that protects a woman’s right to have an abortion. Supporters believe that the Supreme Court, which has a majority of conservative justices, could hear a challenge to the law and, they hope, use it to strike down Roe and deliver a blow to abortion rights nationwide.
See the email Harris sent out Wednesday:
