[csusbpeace] “When We Fight, We Win”: Kamala Harris Strikes Hopeful Note on 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

From: "raccoon" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> ("bigraccoon1")
To: "CSUSBPEACE@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <CSUSBPEACE@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2023 12:54:07 -0800

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/01/when-we-fight-we-win-kamala-harris-strikes-hopeful-note-on-50th-anniversary-of-roe-v-wade/

“When We Fight, We Win”: Kamala Harris Strikes Hopeful Note on 50th
Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

She outlined the Biden administration’s plan to secure access to medication
abortion.

Abortion rights protesters in Orlando in JuneStephen M. Dowell/Orlando
Sentinel/TNS/Zuma

Vice President Kamala Harris marked the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade
<https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/06/roe-dead-minority-rule-undemocratic-system-supreme-court/>
Supreme Court case by lamenting that the Supreme Court had overturned the
constitutional right to an abortion and announcing a series of Biden
administration efforts to ensure access to medication abortion. She spoke in
Tallahassee, Florida, to about 1,500 abortion rights supporters at a venue
not far from the state capitol and the residence of Republican Gov. Ron
DeSantis.
“For nearly 50 years, Americans relied on the rights that Roe protected,” she
said. “Today, however, on what would have been its 50th anniversary, we speak
of the Roe decision in the past tense.”

Harris urged Congress to pass a bill protecting reproductive rights—highly
unlikely given the current GOP control of the House—but she also emphasized
the Biden administration’s short-term efforts to expand access to medication
abortion. “Members of our cabinet and our administration are now directed, as
of the president’s order, to identify barriers to access to prescription
medication and to recommend actions to make sure that doctors can legally
prescribe, that pharmacies can dispense, and that women can secure safe and
effective medication,” she said.

As Becca Andrews, author of No Choice: The Destruction of Roe v. Wade and the
Fight to Protect a Fundamental American Right,
<https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/becca-andrews/no-choice/9781541763081/>
has reported
<https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/06/medication-abortion-roe-solution-access/>
in Mother Jones, medication abortion pills, mifepristone and misoprostol,
are a crucial defense against attacks on reproductive rights. But they remain
inaccessible to many, from people in abusive relationships to those who live
in rural areas without reliable internet access. It remains unclear how
President Biden’s memorandum
<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/22/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-sign-presidential-memorandum-on-ensuring-safe-access-to-medication-abortion/>,
which promises to “protect access to medication abortion” and “safeguard
patient security and privacy
<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/22/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-sign-presidential-memorandum-on-ensuring-safe-access-to-medication-abortion/>,”
will address the needs of the most vulnerable abortion seekers.

A White House official said that Harris’ address took place in Florida
because the state was “at the forefront of the fight against these efforts to
further restrict reproductive freedom.” Florida enacted a 15-week abortion
ban last year, but the state’s dozens of abortion clinics remain important
destinations
<https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/05/abortions-last-chance-in-the-south/>
for people living in more restrictive southern states who need abortions
early in pregnancy.

Her speech took place several days after thousands of anti-abortion advocates
gathered in Washington, DC, for the annual March for Life. As my colleagues
Abby Vesoulis and Emily Hofstaedter reported:

Galvanized by the Dobbs decision, many March for Life protestors expressed
having a renewed sense of energy and purpose. Members of the Catholic clergy
chanted the “Hail Mary” as they marched past the Smithsonian. Two blocks
away, a jumbotron screen replayed graphic videos of fetuses being
dismembered, featuring text overlays stating, “This is her only baby
picture.” Outside the Supreme Court, people knelt down to pray as women
nearby on microphones shared tales of abortions they regretted.

Clearly, the debate over the future of reproductive rights in the United
States is far from settled. Watch Harris’ full address here:

[csusbpeace] “When We Fight, We Win”: Kamala Harris Strikes Hopeful Note on 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

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