WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris railed against efforts in Washington and Republican-run states to limit abortion to what it would have been 50th Anniversary of Roe vs. Wadeciting fundamental American values such as the freedom to campaign to protect access to abortion, despite the Supreme Court’s decision to remove constitutional protections for it.
Harris led the government’s response to commemorate Roe on Sunday, introducing methodically detailed struggles throughout history for certain freedoms, such as civil rights and women’s suffrage, and tying this to access to abortion, which Harris considers a “fundamental, constitutional right.” told a woman to make decisions about her own body.”
“Can we really be free when families can’t make intimate decisions about the course of their own lives?” Harris said in a fiery speech to a boisterous crowd of 1,500 in Tallahassee, Fla. “And can we really be free when so-called leaders claim to be at the forefront of liberty, I quote, while daring to limit the rights of the American people and attack the very foundations of liberty?”
Women’s marches demanding protection of abortion rights were due to start on Sunday, the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s now-overturned Roe v. Wade, who established a federal right to abortion, attract thousands of people across the country.
Harris outlined the aftermath of the abortion restrictions: The 10-year-old girl in Ohio who became pregnant after being raped but had to travel abroad for an abortion. A 35-year-old woman from Texas who was denied treatment three times because it was found to have been a miscarriage and developed a nearly fatal sepsis. A 14-year-old in Arizona who was initially unable to receive medication to control her chronic arthritis because those medications can also lead to pregnancy loss.
“The right of every woman in every state in this country to make decisions about her own body is at stake,” Harris said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: how dare they. How dare you?”
The decision to have Harris speak in Tallahassee, the state capital, reflects how the battle lines have shifted since last summer. Now that there is no longer a national right to abortion, Battles on the topic w play bad in individual state houses rather than in the halls of Congress or in front of the Supreme Court. White House officials convened senior lawmakers from eight states last week to discuss upcoming legislation.
After doing better than expected in the November elections, Democrats see abortion as a key issue for their party in 2024if control of the White House and both houses of Congress are to be won simultaneously. DeSantis could be running for the Republican presidential nominationthe first step to challenge President Joe Biden, preparing for a re-election campaign.
Before her speech, Harris told abortion rights advocates in a conference call Sunday to keep their energy up while they oppose restrictions in Republican-run states and work on behalf of candidates in local races who support access to abortion.
“We’re fighting for something. History will show that we are on the right side on this issue,” Harris said. “So let’s not deter, let’s not overwhelm. This is not the time to throw up our hands. It’s time to roll up your sleeves.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Florida is critical because its abortion rules are less restrictive than its neighbors, making it a relatively safe haven for women in the area trying to terminate their pregnancies. However, further restrictions could be considered by the Republican-controlled state government.
The office of Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did not respond to a request for comment.
biden, in a statement Sunday, said: “Women should be able to make these deeply personal decisions free from political interference. Yet Republicans in Congress and across the country continue to push for a national ban on abortion, the criminalization of doctors and nurses, and access to contraception. It is dangerous, extreme and non-contact.”
Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who has worked with Biden, said the White House’s abortion strategy has three goals.
“You can create an atmosphere and put pressure on these states to make it harder to pass draconian restrictions,” she said. Also, Lake said, “You can set up the contrast for 2024” and “You can use that as a key motivator for people to vote.”
Democrats have concluded that the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Overthrowing Wade changed the political landscape for last year’s election and rejuvenated the party’s chances when analysts expected Republicans to be wiped out.
Democrats still lost control of the House of Representatives and increased their Senate majority by just one vote, meaning legislation that would create a nationwide abortion right remains out of reach.
There are concerns that Biden and his administration have exhausted their avenues for executive action.
The Food and Drug Administration announced this month abortion pills would be more widely available in pharmacies and by mail. The pills can also be obtained through a virtual appointment instead of visiting a doctor’s office.
A legal battle is now unfolding in a Texas federal court where anti-abortion advocates have sued to reverse decades of approval for the drugs.
“The government is really looking at existing federal law and trying to leverage it,” said Lawrence Gostin, who directs the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health at Georgetown Law.
Not all of the management’s ideas worked. Biden announced last year that states could apply for waivers to use Medicaid dollars to pay for women to travel for abortions. No waivers have been requested.
According to analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the fight to protect access to abortion is being fought in state courtrooms, with active litigation against abortion restrictions in 14 states.
The nonprofit health organization noted that advocates have generally taken one of three approaches to raising legal challenges to abortion laws, claiming the laws violate states’ constitutional protections, violate some states’ guaranteed right to make health care decisions meet or block religious freedom.
It’s unclear which legal arguments might be most successful, with state highest courts ultimately deciding how accessible abortion will be. Meanwhile, anti-abortion advocates are looking for ways to use the courts to further restrict abortion.
Renee Bracey Sherman, founder and chief executive of the group We Testify, which advocates for women who have had abortions, said she was disappointed Biden didn’t do more.
“The fact that he is missing during this public health emergency is truly embarrassing,” she said.
Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., joined forces with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., last year to formally challenge Biden declare a public health emergency.
Biden never did, but Smith said she’s pleased with the steps he’s taken.
“I would have a hard time pointing out something they didn’t do, something they could have done in a public health emergency,” she said.
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Associated Press writer Steve Karnowski of St. Paul, Minnesota and Amanda Seitz contributed to this report.
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