OWENSBORO, Ky. — Hadley Duvall gained nationwide attention after sharing her emotional story at the Democratic National Convention and appearing in an ad for Vice President Kamala Harris, and now she is receiving more recognition.
On Thursday, the 22-year-old reproductive rights advocate from Owensboro, Kentucky, was named "Woman of the Year" by Glamour. Duvall shares the title with another abortion rights advocate, Kaitlyn Joshua, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Glamour article about them reads: "Two women whose willingness to share the most intimate details of their personal trauma may help elect the first woman to the White House—and restore abortion rights for all."
The article outlines the horrific experiences Duvall lived through as a child, including having a miscarriage at 12 years old after she was raped and became pregnant by her stepfather. Now 10 years later, she is sharing her story with the entire country in an attempt to sway some stanch opinions on abortion rights.
Duvall's abuser was arrested in 2017 and he is currently serving 20 years in prison for his crimes against her.
“I can’t imagine not having a choice, but today that’s the reality for many women and girls across the country because of Donald Trump’s abortion bans,” Hadley told the crowd and the country watching the DNC at home. “He calls it a beautiful thing. What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parent’s child?”
Both Duvall and Joshua are working for the Harris-Walz campaign, traveling all over the country to tell their stories and meet with potential voters, trying to convince them to join the fight.
They’ve appeared in national campaign ads, spoken at rallies, and this fall they will travel through battleground states as part of the campaign’s Fighting for Reproductive Freedom bus tour.
Duvall also appeared in an ad for Gov. Andy Beshear during his reelection bid in 2023.
When Duvall isn't speaking to an audience of millions on the DNC stage or traveling the country to speak on abortion rights, she is a server at a restaurant in Georgetown, Kentucky.
She told Glamour the customers who do recognize her can be kind, or sometimes not. Once, a patron who didn’t speak to her the entire time she served him chose not to leave a tip. Instead on the line where a tip would go, he wrote "pro-life."
“I don’t care if it makes you uncomfortable that I’m talking about my story,” Duvall said. “I don’t care if the word abortion makes you uncomfortable. The rape made me more uncomfortable. So [it’s about] taking your power back.”
If you're interested in reading Glamour's article on Duvall and Joshua, click here.