Vice President Kamala Harris went after the former president on Friday donald trump on a visit to Arizona highlighting reproductive rights just days after the state Supreme Court ruled that a near-total ban on abortion in 1864 is applicable.
Harris criticized Trump for his record and rhetoric on abortion, calling him the “architect of this health crisis,” as the court ruling brings the vital swing state to the forefront of abortion policy.
“President Donald Trump handpicked three members of the United States Supreme Court because he intended for them to overturn Roe, and as he intended, they did,” she said in Tucson.
Harris also pointed out Trump’s past comments about how women seeking abortions should be punished.
“Joe Biden and I trust that women will know what is in their best interest,” said the vice president. “And women trust all of us to fight to protect their most fundamental freedoms. So, Arizona, this November, at the polls, reproductive freedom is at stake and you have the power to protect it with your vote.”
Harris previously blamed Trump for the court’s decision.
“This even more extreme and dangerous ban criminalizes nearly all abortion care in the state and puts women’s lives at risk. It does not provide exceptions for rape, incest or health,” Harris said in a statement Tuesday. “It is a reality because of Donald Trump, who boasts that he is ‘proudly responsible’ for bringing down Roe v.and made it possible for states to enforce cruel prohibitions.”
On Friday, she spoke alongside state and local officials, including Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is running for Senate.
Harris took a main role in the administration’s approach to reproductive rights, traveling across the country during his “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour, which made stops in Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, Georgia and other swing states. In March, she became, it is believed, the first president or vice president to visit a clinic that provides abortion services.
Harris and President Joe Biden have frequently highlighted protecting abortion access as a centerpiece of their re-election campaign, pointing to the brag about about being able to “kill” Roe v. Wade. Wade through his Supreme Court appointments.
During a visit to Phoenix last month, Harris discussed abortion, which has proven to be a particularly galvanizing issue for Democrats.
Since the Arizona Supreme Court ruling, the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee have highlighted Trump’s abortion policy in a series of new ads. On Thursday, the Biden campaign released a seven-figure ad buy in Arizona on reproductive rights. The DNC also announced a new billboard campaign in Arizona criticizing Trump’s stance on abortion.
“Abortion is banned in Arizona thanks to Donald Trump,” the billboard design says. “It will not stop until it is banned nationwide. #TrumpsAbortionBan.”
Biden almost won Arizona in 2020 with just over 10,000 more votes than Trump, turning the state blue.
And Arizonans appear to be largely in favor of abortion rights. One NBC News 2022 Midterm Exit Poll found that 62% of Arizona voters said abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
But Trump has indicated he may be taking a softer stance on abortion bans before the 2024 election, when the issue of abortion access will be on the ballot in several states. He said Wednesday that the Arizona Supreme Court went too far in his ruling, and he said Monday that abortion decisions should be left up to the states.
Access to abortion became an important political issue after the US Supreme Cour 2022 the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization allowed abortion laws to be implemented at the state level. Even in red-leaning states like Ohio, Kansas and Kentucky, voters supported the pro-abortion rights position when it was put on the ballot.
Florida, Maryland and New York will have abortion-related measures in the vote in November, and proposed measures in eight more states, including Arizona, are seeking ballot status. The Biden campaign said it now sees Florida as “winnable” in November, pointing to how past elections have shown that “protecting abortion rights is mobilizing a diverse and growing segment of voters to help propel Democrats up and down at the polls.”
Biden has repeatedly said he intends to make the abortion protections offered by Roe the law of the land. However, he would face a a series of challenges to introduce national legislation in Congress.
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
