VP Kamala Harris will make historic visit to Minnesota abortion clinic on Thursday – the first time a serving president or vice president has done so
Kamala Harris is about to make history Thursday when she visits a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota that offers abortions.
The appearance, confirmed by multiple insiders, serves as the final leg of a cross-country tour by the vice president.
It comes at a time when the 59-year-old has emerged as a fierce supporter of abortion rights, following the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.
She is the most outspoken advocate iShe has since kicked off her “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour to reinforce that distinction.
With the general election just months away, she will become the first vice president to make such a visit, also beating all previous presidents.
The clinic’s location, meanwhile, has yet to be revealed – at a time when reproductive freedoms across the country remain more up in the air than ever.
Kamala Harris is about to make history Thursday when she visits a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota that offers abortions.
The clinic’s location, meanwhile, has yet to be revealed – at a time when reproductive freedoms across the country remain more up in the air than ever. Pictured: Planned Parenthood in Minneapolis
The planned visit was additionally confirmed by three sources who spoke to NBC News, who said Harris plans to tour the clinic and speak with healthcare providers.
The insiders familiar with the planning added that the Oakland resident’s visit would also allow her to speak to patients.
The sources additionally emphasized that Harris has been adamant that her presence does not disrupt services, as she wants to highlight what her administration has done to try to maintain access to the controversial procedure.
The insider added that she will be allowed to answer questions from reporters, but only outside the yet-to-be-named facility.
Meanwhile, conservative states continue to implement a litany of restrictions in neighboring states, turning Minnesota into something of a haven for abortion seekers.
The rush of legislation comes more than a year later the conservative-dominated Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 case, sparking protests across the country.
The ruling, which came in the middle of Joe Biden’s inaugural term, left states on their own from a legal perspective.
As a result, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed legislation last year enshrining citizens’ abortion rights into state law, after officials left the power to regulate abortion laws to state representatives.
As of this writing, 25 other states offer the same protection, although most are located along the coast, leaving much of America behind.
It comes at a time when the 59-year-old has emerged as a fierce supporter of abortion rights, following the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Meanwhile, conservative states continue to implement a litany of restrictions in neighboring states, turning Minnesota into something of a haven for abortion seekers
The storm of legislation comes more than a year after the conservative-dominated Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 case, sparking protests across the country
The ruling, which came in the middle of Joe Biden’s inaugural term, left states on their own from a legal perspective
As a result, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed legislation last year enshrining citizens’ abortion rights into state law, after officials left the power to regulate abortion to state representatives.
Republicans, meanwhile, have suffered repeated political losses on the abortion issue since Roe v. Wade was overturned, with Republican front-runner Donald Trump remaining notably reluctant to publicly voice his opinion on the ban.
Opponents have argued that the decision unfairly impacts the disenfranchised peoples living in these regions.
The Society of Family Planning found that the average number of abortions in Minnesota increased by about 36 percent in the year after the Supreme Court decision.
Republicans, meanwhile, have suffered repeated political losses on the abortion issue since Roe v. Wade was overturned, with Republican front-runner Donald Trump remaining notably reluctant to publicly voice his opinion on the federal abortion ban.
Instead, he has chosen to advance the idea of a deal between pro-life and pro-choice activists.
“I would sit down with both sides and negotiate something and then we will reach peace on that issue for the first time in 52 years,” he said in an interview with NBC in September when asked about the issue.
In the same interview, Trump criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for signing a six-week abortion ban while then running against the former president for the Republican nomination.
“I think what he did was a terrible thing and a terrible mistake,” Trump said at the time.