In multiple recent appearances, Harris also said: Dobbs Harris, who has vowed to “fight for a woman’s right to choose” while lamenting the consequences of overturning constitutional abortion rights and undermining access to abortion care, became the first vice president to publicly visit abortion provider Planned Parenthood of Minnesota this spring with running mate Tim Walz, another reproductive justice activist, and has also vowed in her policy plan to “never allow a national abortion ban to pass.” It’s no wonder that several reproductive rights groups (such as Reproductive Freedom for All and Emily’s List) are supporting her campaign.
This month, Harris kicked off her 50-stop national “Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour” in Florida. The tour, which features speeches from Harris, Waltz, Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, Waltz’s wife, Gwen, and reproductive rights advocates, is aimed at highlighting Harris’ goal of restoring reproductive freedom. Roe v. WadeShe emphasized protecting women, drawing a sharp contrast between her vision of greater bodily autonomy and the Trump administration’s history of restricting it.
She doesn’t just talk the talk. Harris’s voice is based in a tradition of action. As a senator, she Women’s Health Protection ActThe bill would prohibit states from imposing requirements that make it harder to access abortion care. Previously, as California’s Attorney General, she prosecuted anti-abortion activists for illegally recording conversations at Planned Parenthood and introduced legislation that sought to restrict crisis pregnancy centers, known for persuading people not to get abortions based on medically inaccurate counseling.
As Harris told it, her motivation is deeply personal: In high school, she learned that her best friend had been sexually abused. “So the idea that someone who has survived a violent crime against their body shouldn’t have the power to decide what happens to their body next is immoral,” she told a crowd in Jacksonville, Florida, in May.
Gun Violence
As Harris stated during her first campaign appearance this year, ensuring “the freedom to live safe from the fear of gun violence” is a top priority for her. One of her most impressive accomplishments as vice president will be working with President Biden to pass the landmark Bipartisan Safe Communities Act (BSCA) in 2022. As part of numerous efforts to reduce the persistent threat of gun violence, the bill strengthened background check requirements, criminalized straw purchasing (buying a gun for someone who cannot legally purchase one), took guns out of the hands of those who commit domestic violence, and provided tens of millions of dollars in grants to strengthen school security.
And when Biden created the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention shortly thereafter, he chose Harris to oversee it. Since then, Harris has worked closely with Biden to implement various aspects of the BSCA, including working with the Department of Justice to clarify when gun sales licenses must be obtained and to implement background checks. And during a visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School this year (site of the 2018 Parkland, Fla., mass shooting), Harris announced the launch of a federal resource center to help implement extreme risk, or “red flag,” laws that allow judges to temporarily seize guns from people who may pose a threat to themselves or others.