Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was thrust into the political spotlight on Aug. 6 when he joined Vice President Kamala Harris in running for president, and perhaps nowhere has that been more evident than in his stellar record on reproductive rights since then.
During his first campaign rally, Walz made it clear that his “freedom” included “the freedom to make my own health care decisions” and spoke about his experience with in vitro fertilization (IVF) with his wife, Gwen. Within hours of his nomination, far-right activists seized on what they saw as an affront to his support for legislation to provide free menstrual products in public schools. A meme with his face on a tampon box The phrase “Tampon Tim” is written on it. And Heading He also reminded people that he accompanied Vice President Harris on her recent visit to Planned Parenthood in Minnesota, the first time a vice president has publicly visited an abortion provider.
Reproductive rights groups National Organization for Women, Reproductive Freedom for Alland Planned Parenthood The lawmakers issued a statement congratulating him on his election, calling Walz a “longtime advocate for sexual and reproductive health” and calling the pair “the most pro-reproductive freedom presidential candidates in American history.”
Harris could hardly have sent a more powerful message about the importance of reproductive rights on the campaign trail than by choosing Walz as her running mate. Read on to learn what he said on abortion, IVF, and more, and how he backed up his words with action.
About Abortion
Walz was the first governor in the nation to sign a bill granting abortion rights. State Law After the collapse of eggThis will ensure that Minnesotans retain control over their health care decisions, no matter who sits on the court in the future.
But he didn’t stop there. Next he said:Shield cardMinnesota has enacted a provision that “protects out-of-state people who travel to Minnesota to obtain an abortion and their health care providers from legal attacks and criminal penalties from other states.” States that ban abortion Or there are very restrictive policies, like those in Iowa, Wisconsin and the Dakotas.
Waltz also Undo Signed bills aimed at restricting reproductive freedom; invoice The bill would eliminate red tape surrounding abortion, such as the 24-hour waiting period between consultation and surgery and the requirement that abortions be performed by a doctor (all of which were previously found unconstitutional by a Minnesota district court judge.) Additionally, Governor Walz has moved to pull state funding from so-called “crisis pregnancy centers.” Providing misleading information It’s an attempt to steer people away from abortion.
Speaking openly about abortion “I think it’s a big deal,” Waltz said when speaking with CNN’s Caitlin Collins in March. “I think older white men need to learn how to talk about this a little bit more. And I think the most important thing is to listen to women. Listen to what they’re saying.” At one of Waltz’s first campaign rallies, he practiced what he preached, when a crowd yelled, “My body, my choice!” with a quick “Yes you are.”
Infertility treatment and IVF
Waltz has frequently spoken out in support of IVF as an important topic for anyone trying to conceive, or anyone who knows someone trying to conceive — and Waltz should know this well, having struggled with infertility himself and his wife for seven years.
