Kamala Harris Labels Idea That Democrats Want Abortions Up Until Birth ‘Ridiculous’ (Video)
Vice President Kamala Harris visited “Face the Nation” Sunday and discussed foreign policy, the Biden/Harris reelection campaign and the politically sticky topic of abortion. When anchor Margaret Brennan asked about Republican claims that Democrats will allow abortion access until a woman is ready to give birth, Harris replied that such a statement “is ridiculous … and it’s a mischaracterization.”
Harris added, “Every day in our country, women are silently suffering because of the laws that are being passed that eliminate her ability to make those critical decisions. Laws that are being passed making no exceptions even for rape or incest.”
In the same conversation, the vice president sidestepped a question about specifically when in a pregnancy she believes access to abortion should be restricted. Instead, she said, “We need to restore the protections of Roe vs. Wade. We’re not trying to do something new … from day one, the president has been clear, I have been very clear. We need to put back the protections that are in Roe v. Wade into law.”
On Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court decriminalized abortion nationwide via the Roe v. Wade decision. The ruling did not outline a point in pregnancy at which abortion was no longer allowed, but did affirm that the decision to end a pregnancy should lie with the person who is pregnant and not the government. Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in June 2022 through its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Harris also told Brennan that Congress has the “power and ability” to put the protections provided by the Roe v. Wade ruling “back into law.” As for whether or not a specific time frame needs to be outlined by a potential bill that President Joe Biden could sign, Harris stated, “We’re not trying to do anything that did not exist before June of last year.”
At this point, Brennan interjected, “It wasn’t crafted into law, and that’s why I’m asking you for the specifics of it, because Republicans say the lack of a precise date in cutting it off — you know this — they say that allows Democrats to perform abortions up until birth—”
“Which is ridiculous … and it’s a mischaracterization—” Harris said, before Brennan asked, “Do you think we need to be more precise?”
The vice president replied, “I am being precise. We need to put into law the protections of Roe vs. Wade, and that is about going back to where we were before the Dobbs decision.”
She continued, “This is a very real issue. Our daughter, in her 20s, is going to have less rights than my mother-in-law, who is in her 80s. There are women… I’m going to be very explicit about what is happening in our country, because I meet with the people who are impacted.”
Harris concluded by getting more specific, saying, “Women are having miscarriages in toilets. People who have survived rape or incest are being told they don’t have the right to make a decision about what happens to their body next, after they have survived a crime that has been a violation to their body.”
For Harris, the way to change things is if members of Congress, “regardless of their personal view for themselves or their family, would agree that the women of America should be trusted to make decisions about their life and their body.”
On a lighter and more entertaining note, Harris surprised and delighted many when she hosted a celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop at the vice presidential residence this weekend. Harris invited Common, Jeezy, MC Lyte and other luminaries to the event.
She told the crowd, “Hip-hop culture is American culture … It has always channeled the voices of the people. It tells the stories that don’t make the news.”
Harris’ words weren’t the only part of the event that people were enthused about. As someone pointed out on Twitter, her outfit appeared to be inspired by the wrestler Razor Ramon (Scott Hall). The person tweeted, “kamala harris with a razor ramon inspired fit” and shared a photo of the ensemble.
Harris was also captured dancing in another video widely shared on social media.
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