How Kamala Harris's abortion stance affected her support among faith-based voters

By Elle Freeman // Political Commentator// EEW Magazine Online

No one listened. EEW Magazine Online had been cautioning Democrats that pro-life Christian women felt ignored. Despite an increase in women actively participating in the 2024 presidential campaign, a significant voting bloc was being overlooked.

As Christian women, particularly Black Christian women, we’ve witnessed how our values are often sidelined in political debates. Though Black women largely supported Kamala Harris, who ultimately lost the election, some Christian supporters of Trump expressed that they couldn’t align with the Democratic Party’s stance on abortion.

The deal-breaker?

When Vice President Kamala Harris declared her opposition to religious exemptions in abortion laws if elected president. Harris underscored that she would make no concessions to Republicans on this issue.

The Democratic nominee shared her views last month during an NBC News interview when Hallie Jackson asked Harris, “what concessions would be on the table” regarding federal abortion laws and specifically questioned her stance on “religious exemptions.”

“I don’t think we should be making concessions when we’re talking about a fundamental freedom to make decisions about your own body,” Harris responded.

Jackson pressed further, asking if Harris would extend “an olive branch” to moderate Republicans who support legal abortion but differ on aspects of her policy. Harris remained firm, saying abortion “cannot be negotiable.”

“I’m not gonna engage in hypotheticals because we could go on a variety of scenarios,” she stated. “Let’s just start with a fundamental fact: a basic freedom has been taken from the women of America—the freedom to make decisions about their own body. And that cannot be negotiable, which is that we need to put back in the protections of Roe v. Wade.”

Harris continued, accusing former president Donald Trump of facilitating the overturning of Roe v. Wade, adding: “So that’s my point about what is non-negotiable — it has to be that we agree that it is so fundamental that we allow women the ability, with their doctor, with, if they choose, talking with their faith leader, to be able to make these decisions and not have the government tell her what to do.”

Her stance against religious exemptions in abortion laws aligns with her record as a senator. In 2019, Harris introduced the Do No Harm Act, intended to restrict religious liberty exemptions in cases involving government mandates covered under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The proposed law, which didn’t make it through the Senate Judiciary Committee, would have required religious employers to provide coverage for “any health care item or service” mandated by federal law. This would have eliminated religious exemptions on issues related to abortion, contraception, transgender surgeries, and other healthcare services.

For many faith-based voters, Harris’s unyielding stance represented an unwillingness to hear their voices. Facing a broad rejection by American voters, Kamala Harris conceded the presidential race to Donald Trump on Wednesday, urging her supporters to keep pushing for their vision of America. She assured them that the struggle would go on “in the voting booth, in the courts, and in the public square.”

“Sometimes the fight takes a while,” she told supporters at Howard University, her alma mater, where she had hoped to deliver a victory speech. “That doesn’t mean we won’t win.”

But Harris—or any Democrat—may struggle to win while taking uncompromising stances on abortion that dismiss the faith convictions of Christians, many of whom felt unheard by Democrats in power. Ultimately, these voters overwhelmingly chose to oust the current administration, with abortion among many factors driving their decision.

The scale of Harris’s defeat was striking. She trailed Trump, a Republican she described as a “fascist” and a threat to foundational institutions, in every battleground state—rhetoric that seemingly did not resonate with voters. For the first time in his three campaigns, Trump won the popular vote, with Republicans making sweeping gains and unseating Democrats nationwide.

Before conceding, Harris made a call to congratulate Trump on his victory. She told her supporters, “we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power,” as her audience expressed disappointment.

Perhaps this loss will signal to Democrats that they need to more attentively hear the concerns of the American people—particularly faith-driven voters—instead of imposing views and stifling diverse perspectives. This election cycle reminds us of the power of standing firm in our convictions—and the need for leaders who value diverse perspectives within their base. As we move forward, it’s crucial to stay engaged, speak out, and ensure that our voices aren’t just heard but respected.