US VP Harris visits Minnesota abortion clinic in historic first
Send a link to a friend
[March 15, 2024]
By Nicole Neri and Trevor Hunnicutt
ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on
Thursday toured a health clinic that offers abortion services while she
was in Minnesota, spotlighting growing restrictions on women's rights
that Democrats believe will animate voters in November.
The visit, believed to be the first of a sitting president or vice
president to such a clinic, comes as President Joe Biden highlights
abortion rights as a key issue ahead of the November presidential
election.
Harris arrived for a tour at Planned Parenthood's St. Paul Health
Center-Vandalia facility as some two dozen anti-abortion protesters
stood in the street outside holding signs that read, among other
statements, "Abortion is not healthcare."
After completing a tour that was closed to the press, Harris said women
in the country are undergoing "silent suffering" because of attacks on
their health. The clinic in Minnesota's state capital provides a range
of care, including birth control and preventive wellness services.
"Right now, in our country we are facing a very serious health crisis,
and the crisis is affecting many, many people in our country," the vice
president told reporters.

"I'm here at this healthcare clinic to uplift the work that is happening
in Minnesota as an example of what true leadership looks like."
Democrats think personal freedoms could be a key issue for women,
independents and other key voters after the U.S. Supreme Court
overturned Roe v. Wade abortion rights in 2022. Harris has held more
than 80 public meetings on the topic since then.
"Today, Kamala Harris should answer if there is any abortion restriction
the Biden-Harris administration supports. Voters deserve to know,"
Republican National Committee spokeswoman said following the vice
president's visit.
[to top of second column]
|

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a visit to the St.
Paul Health Center, a clinic that performs abortions, in St. Paul,
Minnesota, U.S., March 14, 2024. REUTERS/Nicole Neri

In his State of the Union address last week, Biden pledged to make
the right to an abortion the law of the land if reelected.
Biden and Harris have both stepped up campaign travel since former
President Donald Trump - whose appointment of three conservative
judges to the nation's highest court preceded the abortion decision
- dominated the Republican party's primary races.
Last year, Minnesota signed a statute protecting the right to
abortion in state law. The Biden administration has warned that a
federal law restricting abortions or related medication could
undermine that statute.
Sarah Traxler, a chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood in the
region, said Harris' visit was a "historic moment."
Traxler said Minnesota had seen a sharp increase in abortions since
Roe was overturned and that many of the women were coming from other
states that have restricted access to the procedures. The forced
journey was putting some of her patients' lives at risk, she said.
The Midwest is home to some of the states expected to be the most
heavily contested in November, especially Wisconsin and Michigan.
While nearby Minnesota favors Democrats, it could also be in play,
and a protest vote against Biden captured 19% of the primary vote
there earlier this month. Democrats worry that some of those
"uncommitted" voters may sit out November's election.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicut; additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb;
Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Leslie Adler)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |