Vice President Kamala Harris emphasizes the critical importance of reproductive health rights in the upcoming November election, as the Biden campaign intensifies efforts to highlight the stark differences between Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump on this issue before their debate this week.
Harris’ remarks coincide with the campaign’s announcement of over 50 events across key states and beyond, commemorating the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned the federal right to abortion.
Biden and his supporters aim to remind voters that this landmark decision in 2022 was made by a Supreme Court that included three conservative justices appointed during Trump’s presidency.
“Every individual, regardless of gender, should recognize that if a fundamental freedom like the right to make decisions about your own body can be eroded, it raises concerns about other freedoms that may be threatened,” Harris stated in a joint MSNBC interview with Hadley Duvall, an advocate for abortion rights who shared her personal story of surviving sexual assault. Part of the interview aired on Sunday.
Kamala Harris accepts a gift (Via Marco Joseph/Getty Images)
The Biden campaign sees abortion rights as a unifying issue in what is anticipated to be a closely contested general election.
Trump has embraced the Dobbs decision as a victory with his conservative supporters but has not explicitly backed a national abortion ban favored by some in the religious right, should he win another term in office.
In April, Trump suggested leaving the issue to individual states. He later indicated in an interview that he would not support a nationwide ban on abortion if passed by Congress. Trump has not provided specifics on his stance regarding women’s access to the abortion pill mifepristone.
During a campaign event on Saturday, Trump acknowledged the significance of the Dobbs decision while recognizing the political risks associated with further pushing the abortion issue at present.
“Every voter must follow their conscience and do what’s right, but we also need to win elections,” he commented.
