Arizona on the Brink: Abortion and Immigration Take Center Stage in Pivotal US Election

For 26-year-old activist Grace Ireland (left), the abortion bans implemented by several Republican-controlled states amount to a “public health crisis created by Trump and the Republicans.” (AFP)

Agence France-Presse Enters the final stages of the US presidential election today (29th), with every major candidate relying on abortion rights for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Trump border security.

Their ideological showdown has reached a fever pitch in Arizona, where both issues are disputed ballot referendum issues.

In this critical southwestern state, every vote counts. Billionaire Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to President Joe Biden by about 10,500 votes.

In the mid-sized city of Tucson, Arizona, hundreds of volunteers in orange T-shirts are going door-to-door trying to persuade voters to support a measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution while, at the same time, convincing voters to vote for Ginnley. .

For 26-year-old activist Grace Ireland, the abortion bans implemented by several Republican-controlled states amount to a “public health crisis created by Trump and the Republicans.”

He added that Democrats and Harris are trying to move the American people forward, protect women’s medical care and protect American democracy and protect everyone.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court ended federal constitutional protections of abortion rights in 2022, Ireland, a nurse practitioner, has worked in several states where abortion rights are prohibited or severely restricted.

These restrictions can sometimes lead to disastrous consequences for women who have pregnancy problems or are pregnant with a non-viable fetus if doctors refuse to treat them.

Women will develop sepsis and die because they can’t get the care they need, she said.

Abortion kills

As Ireland sends his message to potential voters, he will specifically mention young people who may be less likely to vote for three Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices who oppose abortion rights.

Ireland said it’s important to reiterate to them that Trump is on the same page with this abortion ban.

But there is little consensus among young voters in Tucson.

“I think abortion is murder,” said 20-year-old college student Pedro Lopez. He acknowledged that there should be exceptions in cases of molestation or sexual harassment, “but they are very rare.”

Lopez is also concerned about the influx of undocumented immigrants entering the United States from Mexico during the Biden-Harris administration.

“Those who are entering the United States illegally … should be sent back to where they came from,” he said. “My grandparents immigrated to the United States from Mexico, and they immigrated the right way.”

Therefore, Lopez not only has to vote for Trump, but supports the proposal to empower local law enforcement authorities to detain, arrest and prosecute anyone suspected of illegal immigration. These powers are usually reserved for border police who work for the federal government.

Lopez said he knows people who work for the U.S. Border Patrol and are frustrated because the current administration really has their hands tied and is unable to do anything.

mixed effect

The main political parties see competitive referendums as an opportunity to mobilize more people to vote. Polling is a central issue for both presidential campaigns.

But these referendums may not have the obvious impact on the race for the White House that activists hope.

Polls show Trump and Harris neck and neck in Arizona, with Trump slightly ahead.

Meanwhile, both ballot questions have strong support and will likely pass.

As a result, said Jenny Bryan, a bioethics professor at Arizona State University, the abortion issue “may not help the Democrats the way they hope.”

Bryan said many Republican women will vote to protect abortion rights and return Trump to the White House.

He added that abortion is sometimes framed as a Democratic vs. Republican issue, with Republicans “covering a wide range of views on the issue” and that the issue also raises concerns among conservatives about “government interference.”

Arizona Senator John Kavanagh, a Republican, said the same dynamic applies to immigration, not only supporting Trump-leaning Republicans on the Arizona ballot but also “moderates and even a lot of Democrats.”

Kavanagh, 74, said he was uncomfortable with Harris’ recent hardline stance on immigration, particularly as he maintained Biden’s pledge to close parts of the border ordered in recent months.

Vice President Harris “is fleeing open borders faster than illegal immigrants are fleeing Border Patrol,” Kavanagh said.