Vice President Kamala Harris will be starting her national tour focusing on reproductive rights in January. According to CNN, the Biden-Harris administration believes that abortion will play a key role in mobilizing voters in the 2024 election cycle. On Jan. 22, 2024, Harris’ tour will kick off in Wisconsin, which is a key swing state on the electoral map.
Jan. 22 is also the 51st anniversary of the original Roe v. Wade ruling, which until June 2022 allowed abortion as a constitutional right. Biden Campaign Communications Director Michael Tyler told the platform that he believes abortion will be an issue that separates the Biden and Trump campaigns. Tyler called the focus on abortion a “central pillar of the campaign moving forward.”
In an appearance on MSNBC’s “The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell,” Harris spoke about the Biden-Harris administration’s belief in the autonomy women should be able to assert over their own bodies, saying, “President Joe Biden and me, we trust women to be able to make a decision about what’s in their best interest. And women can trust us to protect their individual freedoms.”
Harris announced her tour in a Twitter/X post, saying, “The majority of Americans agree: The government should not be telling a woman what to do with her body. Voters have been clear — from California and Kansas, to Ohio and Virginia. In January, I will be hitting the road to make sure the voice of the people is heard.”
Reproductive freedom has received increased scrutiny over the last few weeks due to the cases of Brittany Watts and Kate Cox, whose cases illustrate the complexity that the repeal of reproductive rights has created, particularly in states run by conservatives.
Ohio and Texas, where the two women live, respectively, are both solidly red states. Anti-abortion advocates in Ohio are currently working with lawmakers to institute a total ban, even though voters codified abortion into law via a vote
. The Texas Supreme Court ruled Dec. 11 that even though Cox’s pregnancy threatened the life of her fetus, she could not get an abortion. Cox eventually left the state to have the procedure performed.The events of those cases further illustrate to those who believe in the reproductive rights that the government should have no say in the process of carrying a child. Harris released a statement speaking to this idea, saying, “I will continue to fight for our fundamental freedoms while bringing together those throughout America who agree that every woman should have the right to make decisions about her own body – not the government.”
According to CNN, it is expected that Harris’s tour will highlight the stories of people who have been impacted by the repeal of Roe
v. Wade. Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden’s campaign manager, told CNN that the stories have resonated with voters, saying, “It’s critical that we continue to lift up these stories and really remind women what’s at stake in this election, and really the choice that they have before them.”RELATED CONTENT: Texas Woman Granted Permission By Judge To Have An Abortion, AG Warns Of Potential Charges Against Doctor