(USNewsMag.com) – Vice President Kamala Harris paid a visit to a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Minnesota last week, which is believed to be the first time a sitting vice president has visited an abortion clinic.
Harris’ visit on Thursday, March 14th, was part of a larger effort by President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign and the Democratic Party to highlight a central issue in the country that could galvanize more moderate voters in the upcoming election who are in favor of abortion. The vice president told reporters of the clinic’s lobby that she came there “to uplift the work” in Minnesota, which she said is “an example of… true leadership.”
Harris said the reason she showed up to the clinic was because the attacks on abortion represent a “healthcare crisis” and that clinics like the Minnesota Planned Parenthood “have had to shut down,” leaving “no options” for women in the area to access what Harris called “essential care.”
The vice president was given a tour of the facility and spoke with various staff members and patients about abortion and reproductive rights. Her visit to the Minnesota clinic marked her sixth stop on what Harris calls the “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour. She kicked off the tour in Wisconsin back in January, making stops in California, Michigan, Georgia, and Arizona.
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 to roll back Roe v. Wade, the question of abortion as a right was kicked back to the individual states, some of which swiftly imposed heavy restrictions or outright bans while other states loosened restrictions. Minnesota is one of those nations that enshrined abortion into law. Last year, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill making abortion a “fundamental right” in the state.
The issue has become one of the most polarizing in the US. Along with the immigration and border crisis, it will surely become one of the deciding issues for many voters during the presidential election in November.
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