Current:Home > BackKamala Harris visits Minnesota clinic that performs abortions: "We are facing a very serious health crisis"-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Kamala Harris visits Minnesota clinic that performs abortions: "We are facing a very serious health crisis"
View Date:2024-12-24 10:56:04
Vice President Kamala Harris visited a Minnesota women's reproductive health clinic that performs abortion services during her visit to the state Thursday, which her office is touting as the first time that either a sitting president or vice president has visited a reproductive health clinic.
As the Biden-Harris campaign has sought to highlight the issue of abortion as well as women's reproductive health, Harris warned "we are facing a very serious health issue" in the U.S.
Using some of the strongest language that the administration has used so far to show their advocacy for abortion rights, Harris said these attacks against an "individual's right to make decisions about their own body are outrageous and in many instances, plain old immoral."
"How dare these elected leaders who are in believe they are in a better position to tell women what they need, to tell women what is in their best interests," Harris said. "We have to be a nation that trusts women."
While abortion access has been enshired in Minnesota since 1995 in a state Supreme Court decision, Harris pointed that the facilities are often providing care to women who have to travel to the state to receive abortions. The procedure is currently illegal in more than a dozen states, including Minnesota neighbors North Dakota and South Dakota, and is restricted in Iowa and Wisconsin.
Harris toured the facility, spoke with staff and was briefed on how Minnesota has been affected by abortion bans in surrounding states. The center provides a range of services, including abortion, birth control and preventative wellness care.
Her office said she was also scheduled to speak later at a campaign event tailored to women. The visit is part of her nationwide "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour, which is a White House initiative.
Abortion rights have become a major talking point in President Biden campaign's reelection bid as he and Harris attempt to connect restrictive abortion laws to former President Donald Trump and contrast themselves as candidates with an agenda of restoring abortion protections. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide in 1973.
The DFL-led legislature last year further bolstered abortion rights by passing a state law guaranteeing a "fundamental right" to the procedure. They credited the backlash against the U.S. Supreme Court decision for their takeover of the state Senate and for keeping their House majority in a year when Republicans expected to make gains.
An update to Minnesota's equal rights amendment, which would add language to the state constitution if approved by voters, will include provisions aimed at protecting access to abortion when advocates push for it this year.
At a campaign event earlier this year in Wisconsin, Harris took direct aim at Trump for saying he was "proud" of helping to limit abortions. Trump nominated three conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court during his term in office prior to the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
At this point in the 2024 presidential election, both Mr. Biden and Trump have enough delegates to be considered their parties' presumptive nominees for president, setting up a 2020 contest rematch.
- In:
- Health
- Supreme Court of the United States
- Minnesota
- Joe Biden
- Kamala Harris
- Elections
- Donald Trump
- Politics
- Abortion
veryGood! (37)
Related
- ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ review: Darren Criss shines in one of the best musicals in years
- Maui’s mayor prioritizes housing and vows to hire more firefighters after Lahaina wildfire
- British warship identified off Florida coast 3 centuries after wreck left surviving crew marooned on uninhabited island
- Bernie Sanders wants the US to adopt a 32-hour workweek. Could workers and companies benefit?
- The Masked Singer's Ice King Might Be a Jonas Brother
- Michigan suspends defensive line coach Gregg Scruggs following drunk driving arrest
- Eva Mendes Thanks Ryan Gosling For “Holding Down the Fort” While She Conquers Milan Fashion Week
- Jets to sign longtime Cowboys star Tyron Smith to protect Aaron Rodgers, per reports
- Skai Jackson announces pregnancy with first child: 'My heart is so full!'
- Fasting at school? More Muslim students in the US are getting support during Ramadan
Ranking
- Gavin Rossdale Makes Rare Public Appearance With Girlfriend Xhoana Xheneti
- WATCH: NC State forces overtime with incredible bank-shot 3-pointer, defeats Virginia
- The House wants the US to ban TikTok. That's a mistake.
- Steelers trade QB Kenny Pickett to Eagles, clearing way for Russell Wilson to start, per reports
- 'Bizarre:' Naked man arrested after found in crawl space of California woman's home
- WWE WrestleMania 40 match card: 10 matches, what to know three weeks ahead of event
- A Gas Tanker Crashed in Birmingham and Spilled 2,100 Gallons Into Nearby Village Creek. Who Is Responsible?
- Judge appoints special master to oversee California federal women’s prison after rampant abuse
Recommendation
-
Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn is ending her retirement at age 40 to make a skiing comeback
-
Boeing plane found to have missing panel after flight from California to southern Oregon
-
The Supreme Court won’t intervene in a dispute over drag shows at a public university in Texas
-
A ‘Gassy’ Alabama Coal Mine Was Expanding Under a Family’s Home. After an Explosion, Two Were Left Critically Injured
-
The White Stripes drop lawsuit against Donald Trump over 'Seven Nation Army' use
-
11-foot, 750-pound blind alligator seized from Hamburg, NY, home, gator used as attraction
-
Boeing plane found to have missing panel after flight from California to southern Oregon
-
Aaron Donald announces his retirement after a standout 10-year career with the Rams