Current:Home > FinanceBurley Garcia|Now a Roe advocate, woman raped by stepfather as a child tells her story in Harris campaign ad -Profound Wealth Insights
Burley Garcia|Now a Roe advocate, woman raped by stepfather as a child tells her story in Harris campaign ad
Johnathan Walker View
Date:2025-04-09 22:20:36
WASHINGTON (AP) — A 22-year-old woman who became an abortion rights advocate after she was raped by her stepfather as a child tells her story in a new campaign ad for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
Hadley Duvall says in voiceover that she’s never slept a full night in her life — her stepfather first started abusing her when she was five years old,Burley Garcia and impregnated her when she was 12. As she speaks, images of Duvall as a child flash on the screen. The soundtrack of the ad is a song by Billie Eilish, who endorsed the vice president on Tuesday.
“I just remember thinking I have to get out of my skin. I can’t be me right now. Like, this can’t be it,” Duvall says. “I didn’t know what to do. I was a child. I didn’t know what it meant to be pregnant, at all. But I had options.”
The ad is part of a continued push by the Harris campaign to highlight the growing consequences of the fall of Roe, including that some states have abortion restrictions with no exceptions for rape or incest. Women in some states are suffering increasingly perilous medical care and the first reported instance of a woman dying from delayed reproductive care surfaced this week. Harris lays the blame squarely on Republican nominee Donald Trump, who appointed three of the conservatives to the U.S. Supreme Court who helped overturn the constitutional right to abortion.
Duvall blames Trump, too.
“Because Donald Trump overturned Roe v. Wade, girls and women all over the country have lost the right to choose, even for rape or incest,” she says in the ad. “Donald Trump did this. He took away our freedom.”
During the presidential debate on Sept. 10, Trump repeatedly took credit for appointing the three Supreme Court justices and leaned heavily on his catchall response to questions on abortion rights, saying the issue should be left up to the states. He said he would not sign a national abortion ban.
“I’m not signing a ban,” he said, adding that “there is no reason to sign the ban.”
But he also repeatedly declined to say whether he would veto such a ban if he were elected again — a question that has lingered as the Republican nominee has shifted his stances on the crucial election issue.
Duvall of Owensboro, Kentucky, first told her story publicly last fall in a campaign ad for the governor’s race in her home state supporting Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. Duvall’s stepfather was convicted of rape and is in prison; she miscarried.
Beshear won reelection, and Democrats have said Duvall’s ad was a strong motivator, particularly for rural, male voters who had previously voted for Trump.
Duvall is also touring the country to campaign for Harris along with other women who have been telling their personal stories since the fall of Roe, joining Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro last week.
veryGood! (839)
Related
- Audit: California risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections
- Federal Reserve March meeting: Rates hold steady; 3 cuts seen in '24 despite inflation
- Trump’s lawyers keep fighting $454M fraud appeal bond requirement
- Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits dip to 210,000, another sign the job market is strong
- Drones warned New York City residents about storm flooding. The Spanish translation was no bueno
- Yes, authentic wasabi has health benefits. But the version you're eating probably doesn't.
- Explosive Jersey Shore Teaser Offers First Glimpse of Sammi and Ronnie Reunion
- Colorado extends Boise State's March Madness misery. Can Buffs go on NCAA Tournament run?
- Hidden Home Gems From Kohl's That Will Give Your Space a Stylish Refresh for Less
- US men's soccer team Concacaf Nations League semifinal vs. Jamaica: How to watch, rosters
Ranking
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Chick-fil-A adds 6 pizza items to menu at test kitchen restaurant: Here's what to know
- 70 million Americans drink water from systems reporting PFAS to EPA | The Excerpt
- Grambling State gets first ever March Madness win: Meet Purdue's first round opponent
- The 'Rebel Ridge' trailer is here: Get an exclusive first look at Netflix movie
- Broadway star Sonya Balsara born to play Princess Jasmine in 'Aladdin' on its 10th anniversary
- Real Housewives of Potomac's Karen Huger Charged With DUI After Car Crash
- Are manatees endangered? Here's the current conservation status of the marine mammal.
Recommendation
A New York Appellate Court Rejects a Broad Application of the State’s Green Amendment
Scott Boras addresses frustrating offseason of unsigned high-profile baseball players
Texas immigration ruling puts spotlight on nation’s most conservative federal appeals court
Ariana Grande, Ethan Slater and the Entire Wicked Cast Stun in New Photos
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
Kentucky governor appoints new commissioner to run the state’s troubled juvenile justice department
Prosecutors say Donald Trump’s hush money trial should start April 15 without further delay
Dancing With the Stars' Peta Murgatroyd and Maks Chmerkovskiy Reveal Sex of Baby