A father votes on Election Day not for himself, but for his daughters.

In a brief interview on CNN News Central On Tuesday morning, outside a polling place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jason Faasse was stopped and asked who he voted for. He replied: “I voted for Kamala Harris.”

When asked why, Faasse, facilities and events coordinator at Calvin University, explained, “I have three daughters, so four kids total. And women’s rights are very important to them.

Faasse paused as his voice trailed off. “Sorry, I’m getting a little emotional about this. I didn’t think I was going to do that,” he admitted.

He continued: “But just their body, their choice, that type of mentality. I want them to grow up in a world that is welcoming to everyone, so yes, that’s why I voted today.

In April, former president Donald Trump – who is running against Vice President Harris in the presidential election – took credit for the Supreme Court’s decision to to spill Roe v. Wade in 2022, stating that he is “proudly the one in charge.”

Trump said that by overturning the Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 decision that gave women across the country the right to abortion, conservatives took abortion laws “out of federal hands and introduced them in the hearts, minds and votes of the people of the country. each state. »

Since the overthrow of Roe v. Wadewhen five Supreme Court justices – including three appointed by Trump – voted to repeal the law, about half of all 50 states have stricter abortion restrictions in place. Thirteen States have outright bans on abortion.

Among states that have banned or restricted abortion, 10 do not have an exception for pregnancies resulting from sexual assault. Following the judgment, many reports There have been cases of women dying or nearly dying from miscarriages or complications from dangerous pregnancies, with doctors unable to intervene due to these bans.

“Right now, we’re in a situation where there’s a really heightened sensitivity as to what constitutes a life-threatening emergency, and when it is a life-threatening emergency,” Alina Salganicoff, director of women’s health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. told NPR in August. She added that the word abortion is now “the kryptonite of insurance.”

According to a recent survey by KFFaccess to abortion has become the most important issue in the November elections for women under 30.

Asked by CBS Evening News in October on restoring access to abortion, Harris said: “We have seen extraordinary harm, pain and suffering occur because of what Donald Trump has done in planning, implementing and by overturning the law. Roe v. Wade.”

She added: “Yes, my first priority is to put these protections back in place and end this pain and injustice that is happening in our country. »

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