President Biden's re-election campaign on Monday released a scathing campaign ad blaming former President Donald J. Trump for the near death of a Texas woman who was denied an abortion after a miscarriage.
The ad features a woman, Amanda Zulawski, sobbing over the loss of the baby she and her husband had planned to name Willow. It is depicted that he almost lost his life due to the disease.
Viewers are then shown a black screen that says, “Donald Trump did this.”
The ad summarizes the Biden campaign's strategy to tap into anger over the Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a legal precedent that has protected women's abortion rights for nearly half a century. be.
The president's advisers expect angry voters to blame Trump for the court ruling and subsequent actions by conservative Congresses to impose strict restrictions on abortion in several states when they vote in November. This issue has been central to several recent Democratic election victories.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday that the only reason there are extreme abortion bans in place across the country right now is because of the judges that the former president and Senate Republicans brought to court. It's because of this,” he said.
In recent months, Mr. Trump has supported restrictive measures like those in Texas, or the recent Florida policy that completely bans abortions after six weeks, a period before many women realize they are pregnant. He has refused to make a statement about it.
But in a video released Monday, the former president said such decisions should be left to each state, appointing the three Supreme Court justices who voted with a majority to overturn Roe. I'm proud to be in charge.”
The ad, featuring Zulawski and her husband, is part of a $30 million advertising campaign that will air on broadcast and cable stations in battleground states.
Zulawski is suing the state of Texas, saying she was denied an abortion when her water broke at 18 weeks. She developed sepsis and almost died from the infection. Twenty-one additional women have joined as plaintiffs in the case, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, which argued Roe's case before the Supreme Court. The case is being heard by the Texas Supreme Court.
Zulawski was a guest at the president's State of the Union address and participated with the president in January at an event focused on reproductive rights. She plans to visit North Carolina and Wisconsin in the coming days to campaign for Biden, she said.
The ad, shot in March, shows Zulawski, 37, and her husband Josh rummaging through a box of pregnancy memorabilia. The infection she developed during pregnancy may make it difficult for her to have children in the future.
“I think this ad really shows the other side of the coin, the heartbreak and trauma that Josh and I face every day,” she said. “Yes, we keep doing this because this is very important to us. But it's very hard and tiring to keep doing this. That's why we have to win in November so that we can have some rest. That’s what I think.”
Zoran Kanno Youngs Contributed to reporting from Washington.