Topline
Vice President Kamala Harris will on Thursday visit a reproductive health clinic in Minnesota that performs abortions, in a bid to highlight the Biden administration’s support for protecting access to the procedure that is expected to remain a key electoral issue for voters in November.
Key Facts
Citing the vice president’s office, various reports noted this will be the first instance of a president or vice president visiting an abortion clinic.
Harris is scheduled to tour the facility with its chief medical officer and meet with its staff members, NPR reported.
The location or identity of the center has not been disclosed due to security reasons, according to the Associated Press.
The report added that the center provides a variety of reproductive health services, including “abortion, birth control and preventative wellness care.”
The vice president will also be briefed on the impact abortion restrictions in nearby states have had on Minnesota—which does not limit access to the procedure.
Key Background
Harris’ visit to the clinic is part of a nationwide tour she has been on since January to speak up on abortion rights. In recent weeks, the vice president has visited several swing states including Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona. During her recent visit to Michigan, Harris attacked Republicans backing a national abortion ban as “extremists.” In a speech, she spoke about abortion as a personal liberty issue and said that in America freedom is everyone’s right: “And that includes the freedom to make decisions about one’s own body — not the government telling you what to do.”
Big Number
12%. That is the percentage of voters who say abortion is the most important issue for their vote in 2024, according to a poll conducted by health policy group KFF earlier this month. The number grows to 17% when accounting for women voters between the ages of 18 and 49.
Tangent
Last year, Minnesota passed the Protect Reproductive Options Act, which enshrines access to abortion as a “fundamental right” in the state. While signing the legislation into law, Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz said: “We are delivering on our promise to put up a firewall against efforts to reverse reproductive freedom. No matter who sits on the Minnesota Supreme Court, this legislation will ensure Minnesotans have access to reproductive health care for generations to come.”
Further Reading
Vice President Harris will visit a Minnesota clinic that performs abortions (Associated Press)
Harris will visit an abortion clinic, a first for any president or vice president (NPR)
