Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that had guaranteed the right to abortion on the federal level for nearly 50 years. The aftermath of the ruling has left a patchwork of bans and restrictions across the country, including here in Georgia.  

The issue of abortion has become a pivotal factor in the 2024 election.

While the debate around abortion often focuses on women's rights, U.S. second gentleman Doug Emhoff says it should be an important issue for men. He spoke with GPB’s Pamela Kirkland to delve deeper into the topic and its implications.

 

TRANSCRIPT: 

Pamela Kirkland: Two years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a precedent that stood for 50 years, guaranteeing the right to abortion. Since then, several states have banned the procedure, and others, like Georgia, have significantly limited its access. The issue has become a major factor in the 2024 election, influencing voters across the political spectrum. And while the debate often centers on women's rights. One advocate says it should also be an issue for men. Last month, Second gentleman Doug Emhoff hosted a panel in Atlanta on the subject, and he joins me now. Thank you, and welcome to Morning Edition.

Doug Emhoff: It's great to see you. Thanks for having me. It's a very important topic, so I appreciate it.

Pamela Kirkland: The ruling two years ago brought up a lot of legal questions and lawsuits challenging nearly every ban and restriction on abortion. You're a lawyer; I wanted to ask, how do you think the ruling has changed the legal landscape when it's come to abortion?

Doug Emhoff: Well, thanks for having me. As you said two years ago, the Dobbs decision came down. And as a lawyer, it's based on — it's an attack on our right of privacy; all of our rights of privacy. So there was a case before Roe called Griswold, which established a right of privacy. Roe was based on that. And it's basically the government shouldn't be involved in things that happen inside your house, inside of your bedroom, inside your medicine cabinet. And this is a major assault not only on women's reproductive freedom, but on all of our freedoms, because the attack, again, is based on that right of privacy. And as Justice Thomas pointed out in the concurring opinion of Dobbs — which was the case that overturned Roe —questioning aloud, saying the quiet part out loud, is: What's next? What else can we go after that's based on this Griswold right of privacy? So contraception, who you can marry, what you can read, who you can love. And all those things that we thought we were taking for granted are now at risk because of this, I think, completely wrongly decided Dobbs decision.

Pamela Kirkland: Access to abortion has become increasingly limited, and especially here in the South. With restrictive laws already on the books. What role can the federal government play in terms of changing it?

Doug Emhoff: Well, first and foremost, we have an election coming up, in four months or so. We need to make sure Joe Biden and Kamala Harris get reelected, because make no mistake, this ... this situation was caused by Donald Trump. Donald Trump ran on overturning Roe v. Wade. He himself said women should be punished. He appointed three justices who did exactly that. And that's why we're in the situation we're in. So people need to understand the connection between who is president and who is on the Supreme Court and who is on the Supreme Court dictates these fundamental rights. So in this next election, there could be several seats on the Supreme Court open. So if people value their privacy, their freedom, their reproductive rights, there's only one decision, which is to reelect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris so they can remediate that. The federal government can do so much through executive order. We're trying to do everything we can. But at the end of the day, we need to have a Congress that is willing to reflect the will of the vast majority of people in this country who support freedom, support reproductive rights, and have a Congress that will codify Roe v. Wade. And that's — that's what we need to have as well.

Pamela Kirkland: You've been to Georgia to speak on this issue. Your wife, the vice president, has also been here a couple of times to speak on the issue. How prominently do you think that abortion and reproductive rights are going to play in the 2024 election?

Doug Emhoff: I think it's a massive issue. We've already seen elections over the last couple of years where this has been on the ballot, including in — in so-called red states. And every one of those elections over the last couple of years, an overwhelming 65%, 70%, 75%, if not more, have voted for freedom, have voted for reproductive freedom against these restrictions that just keep getting worse, left to the states. I was in Georgia, recently, and I was — I was really happy and proud to speak with a group of men — young men who care about this issue. They care about it because it's just wrong. It's wrong that women are treated less than, but they also understand that all these other rights are impacted, and that's why they're out there fighting. And so between now and the election, I'm going to continue to use this microphone to encourage all of us, men included, to get in this fight. It's — again, it's just a fight for freedom.

Pamela Kirkland: What role do you see men playing as far as abortion rights go and advocating for abortion rights?

Doug Emhoff: So men — again, this is not just a woman's issue, so-called women's issue, because when you think about it, if you — So some of the stories we've seen: Amanda Zurawski, for instance. She was married, was trying to have a child in Texas, and almost died of sepsis. Similar ban — six-week ban that you have in Georgia. And so I did an event with her husband where he was talking about the impact on him and trying to just have a family. I have a son who's 29, just got married. His wife is from Texas. And if they're thinking about moving to Texas, well, think again. Six-week ban, same as Georgia. So it's impacting men and women equally. And then when you extrapolate it out to other freedoms at stake which apply to men and women, everyone needs to care about this.

Pamela Kirkland: Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, thank you so much for joining me on Morning Edition.

Doug Emhoff: I appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Tags: Georgia  doug emhoff  Abortion  Privacy  Roe v. Wade  Dobbs anniversary