Democratic debate moderators have not addressed disability or reproductive justice

Of the many topics about which moderators asked the Democratic candidates during the second round of debates on July 30 and 31, two crucial ones were noticeably absent: reproductive and disability rights. 

While reproductive rights didn't come up at all during the second debates, several candidates at least referenced reproductive rights in the first debate. When asked about healthcare, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee pointed out that he was the only lawmaker who successfully "passed a law protecting a woman's reproductive rights in health insurance and the only candidate who passed a public option." At the same debate, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) asserted that all of the Democratic candidates support a woman's right to reproductive liberty. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro later chimed in about their plans to secure reproductive rights as well. 

Reproductive rights have been under siege for years now, but the country has witnessed an unprecedented wave of abortion bans this year. States such as Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri have passed so-called "heartbeat bills" that ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Several other states have attempted to pass similar bills but have failed. Importantly, every ban that legislators have passed are also being challenged and are therefore not in effect. It's still undeniable, though, that the bans were initially passed with the expectation that they would eventually challenge the landmark Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade.

A few candidates have generally acknowledged the importance of addressing disability rights in their campaigns by sharing messages of solidarity with and support of the disability community in honor of the 29th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26. Some candidates have also included accommodating gestures such as using sign language on campaign trails. Given that one in four Americans (or 61 million citizens) live with a disability and that recent research found that voter turnout among individuals with disabilities rose 8.5 percentage points during the 2018 elections (as compared to the 2014 midterm elections), it makes sense that the candidates would take these measures.

Not a single candidate, however, mentioned disability rights in either the first or second rounds of Democratic debates. None of them have websites that are accessible for many disabled voters, either.

The moderators' failure to ask Democratic candidates about reproductive and disability rights is a huge oversight. The candidates, however, were also neglectful in their inability to speak up about these crucial topics even when moderators don't directly ask them to address them.