This week, Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign released a new ad detailing one woman’s horrific experience with childhood sexual assault. In an effort to continue the conversation around the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the need for widespread abortion legislation, the ad aims to show what could happen without abortion access.
In sharing her story, the woman in the campaign ad puts yet another face on a real issue that needs to be addressed.
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Her story is incredibly honest.
Hadley Duvall, a 22-year-old woman from Kentucky, shares her story in the ad, which premiered earlier this week. In a voiceover, Duvall explains that she had never had a full night’s sleep.
“I was 5 years old when my stepfather abused me for the first time. I just felt like I was alone on a planet with a monster,” she says. The ad itself is called “Monster.”
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She became pregnant due to the abuse.
“I was 12 when he impregnated me,” Duvall continues, as photos of her at that age, including one of her smiling with a mouth full of braces, and another of her in a cheerleader uniform showed on screen.
“I just remember thinking I have to get out of my skin. I canât be me right now. Like, this canât be it,” she confessed. “I didnât know what to do. I was a child. I didnât know what it meant to be pregnant, at all. But I had options.”
According to an article from Newsweek, Duvall’s stepfather pleaded guilty to rape, sodomy, and sexual abuse, and is now spending 20 years in prison.
The ad uses a song by Billie Eilish.
Singer Billie Eilish and her brother, who is also her main producer, Finneas, endorsed Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, earlier this week in a video for National voter Registration Day shared on social media.
“We are voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because they are fighting to protect our reproductive freedom, our planet and our democracy,” Eilish said in the video. “Vote like your life depends on it, because it does.”
She goes on to remind people of Trump's role in the change of abortion access.
As she is seen doing regular tasks like washing her face, Duvall shares an important reminder. “Because Donald Trump overturned Roe v. Wade, girls and women all over the country have lost the right to choose, even for rape or incest,” she says. “Donald Trump did this. He took away our freedom,” she says firmly.
Trump appointed several anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court, who overturned the earlier Supreme Court ruling, Roe v. Wade, in 2022. Trump has spoken with pride about appointing the justices, but during the September 10 presidential debate, said he would not sign a national abortion ban, instead leaving the decision up to states.
Duvall is a fierce advocate for abortion due to her experiences.
On June 25, 2022, the day Roe v. Wade was overturned, Duvall shared her story for the first time, reported Newsweek. She also shared the story in a similar style in a campaign ad for Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. According to an article from the Associated Press, Democrats said that Duvall’s ad was a big part of Beshear being reelected.
After an appearance at the Democratic National Convention, Duvall will continue to tour with Harris on the campaign trail until November.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline provides confidential 24/7 support. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.
