In a forthcoming interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” set to air Monday, June 24, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris criticized abortion bans across various states.
She argues that they are depriving women of essential reproductive care and instigating a “health care crisis.”
Harris, speaking with co-host Mika Brzezinski, shared her observations from a visit to a reproductive care clinic in Minnesota in March.
“In those clinics that are trusted in the community, you can get a Pap smear, breast cancer screening, HIV screening, the things where people want to be able to walk into a health care facility and be treated with dignity and without judgment so they can address their health care concerns,” Harris noted.
She said such clinics are closing in states with stringent abortion laws, resulting in a significant reduction in vital health care services.
The full interview is scheduled to air on the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Harris was joined in the interview by reproductive rights advocate Hadley Duvall, who gained attention for her appearance in a campaign ad for Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s 2023 re-election campaign, where she shared her personal story of needing an abortion after being sexually abused by her stepfather.
“If there is a woman who is in that reproductive age, then her life is at stake during this election,” Duvall told Brzezinski, urging voters to support Biden and other Democrats in the upcoming elections to safeguard abortion rights nationwide.
She stressed the importance of voting regardless of previous political affiliations, stating:
“It does not matter if you have never voted Democrat in your life. It’s get off your high horse, because women, we don’t get to choose a whole lot, and you at least can choose who you can vote for.”
Harris framed the issue within the broader context of personal freedom.
“Fundamentally, on this issue, it’s about freedom,” the vice president asserted. “And every person of whatever gender should understand that, if such a fundamental freedom such as the right to make decisions about your own body can be taken, be aware of what other freedoms may be at stake.”
Harris’ comments during the interview are consistent with the Biden administration’s stance on abortion rights and highlights the ongoing debate surrounding reproductive healthcare in the United States.
