WASHINGTON – The ingredients of a presidential ticket began in an unusual place six months ago: an abortion clinic in Minnesota.
At the time, it was a historic visit for Vice President Kamala Harris – no president or vice president had ever made a public visit to one of them. But the visit laid the groundwork for Harris to connect with the Minnesota governor. Tim Walz and learn about her interest in reproductive health, an issue Harris has taken up during her tenure in the White House.
At first glance, the 60-year-old governor may not seem like the most likely political surrogate to talk about abortion and pregnancy. But Harris has found a partner who has a track record of raising access to abortion in her state and can comfortably talk about her own family’s struggles with infertility.
Walz has already captivated crowds in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin with the story of her daughter’s birth, made possible by in vitro fertilization treatments. The procedure involves retrieving a woman’s eggs and combining them in a laboratory dish with sperm to create a fertilized embryo that is transferred to the woman’s uterus in hopes of creating a pregnancy.
His wife, Gwen, underwent seven years of fertility treatments before their daughter’s arrival. In those years, Gwen’s phone calls often caused heartbreak, he said, until one day she called in tears with the good news that she was pregnant.
“It is no coincidence that we named our daughter Hope,” he told crowds in Philadelphia and again on Wednesday in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
The couple also has a son, Gus.
Walz set the arena on fire in Philadelphia on Tuesday, his first appearance as Harris’ vice presidential pick, with a warning to Republicans.
“Even if we didn’t make the same choice for ourselves, there is one golden rule: Mind your own business,” Walz said to a crowd that roared in response. Harris smiled, clapping behind him. “Look, this includes in vitro fertilization. And it becomes personal for me and the family.”
Democrats have warned that access to birth control and fertility treatments could be at risk if Republicans win this election. Concern grew more frantic after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in February that frozen embryos could be considered children, putting fertility treatment for people in the state into question. Both Democrats and Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, condemned the decisionalthough some conservatives have said they support it.
The majority of Americans – about 6 in 10 – favor protecting access to in vitro fertilization, according to an AP-NORC poll held in June. However, opinion is less developed on whether the destruction of embryos created through IVF should be prohibited. Around 4 in 10 are neither in favor nor opposed to banning the destruction of embryos created through in vitro fertilization, while a third are in favor and a quarter are opposed.
Walz’s experience on reproductive issues is not just personal.
After the U.S. Supreme Court took away the constitutional right to abortion, Walz signed a State Law declaring that Minnesotans have a “fundamental right” to abortion and contraception.
Since Walz was announced as Harris’ running mate, some conservatives have criticized the law as extreme, saying it allows women to have abortions when they are too far along in pregnancy. Meanwhile, abortion advocacy groups praised the choice.
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Associated Press writers Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
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