Dad of 3 Girls Breaks Down on Live TV as He Reveals Why He's Voting for Kamala Harris
Jason Faasse of Grand Rapids, Mich., told 'CNN News Central' that he wants his girls "to grow up in a world that’s welcoming to everybody"
One dad is casting his vote on Election Day not for himself, but for his daughters.
In a brief interview on CNN News Central outside of a polling station in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Tuesday morning, Jason Faasse was stopped and asked who he voted for. He responded, “I voted for Kamala Harris.”
When asked why, Faasse, the facility and events coordinator at Calvin University, elaborated, saying, “I have three daughters — four children overall. And women’s rights are pretty important to them.”
Faasse paused as his voice got choked up. “Sorry, I am getting a little emotional about that. I didn’t think I was gonna do that,” he admitted.
He continued, “But just their bodies, their choice, that type of mentality. I want them to grow up in a world that’s welcoming to everybody, so yeah, that’s why I cast my vote today.”
Related: I’m a PEOPLE Writer Who Was Physically Attacked by Trump. Don’t Underestimate Women This Election
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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 overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, stating that he is “proudly the person responsible.”
Trump said that by overturning the landmark Supreme Court decision of 1973, which granted women around the nation the right to an abortion, conservatives took abortion laws “out of the federal hands and brought it into the hearts, minds, and vote of the people in each state."
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, when five Supreme Court justices — three of whom were appointed by Trump — voted to strike down the law, about half of the 50 states have implemented stricter abortion restrictions. Thirteen states have outright abortion bans.
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Among the states with abortion bans or limits, 10 have no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from sexual assault. In the wake of the ruling, numerous reports have emerged of women dying or nearly dying from miscarriages or complications in dangerous pregnancies, as doctors were unable to intervene due to these bans.
“Right now, we’re in a situation where there is really heightened sensitivity about what is a life-threatening emergency, and when it is a life-threatening emergency,” Alina Salganicoff, director of women’s health policy at Kaiser Family Foundation, told NPR back in August. She added that the word abortion is now “insurance kryptonite.”
According to a recent poll from KFF, abortion access has emerged as the most important issue in the November election for women under 30.
Related: U.S. Infant Mortality Rates Increased After Roe v. Wade Was Overturned, Study Finds
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Asked by CBS Evening News in October about restoring abortion access, Harris said, “We have seen extraordinary harm and pain and suffering happen because of what Donald Trump did in intending and effectuating and overturning of Roe v. Wade.”
She added, “Yes, my first priority is to put back in place those protections and to stop this pain, and to stop this injustice that is happening around our country."
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