Anti-abortion laws create broader ‘crisis’ for women’s health, Harris warns

Vice President Harris argued Sunday that the implications of anti-abortion laws go beyond the medical procedure and present a larger “crisis” for other women’s health care.

Harris, speaking with MSNBC on Sunday, and two years since the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. Wade, warned that “everything is at stake” in the upcoming election regarding abortion and other reproductive freedoms.

“Fundamentally, this issue is about freedom, and all people, regardless of gender, must understand that if a freedom as fundamental as the right to make decisions about one’s own body can be taken, be aware that other freedoms may be at stake. ,” Harris told MSNBC “Morning Joe” co-anchor Mika Brzezinski.

The vice president highlighted that reproductive care clinics offer more than just abortion services, underscoring the threat that state abortion bans can pose to other reproductive care services.

“This issue truly represents a health crisis in America, including the fact that I am, as it turns out, the first vice president – ​​and no president – ​​to visit a reproductive care clinic. clinic should highlight – in clinics that are trusted in the community – you can get a pap smear [smear]breast cancer screening, HIV screening,” Harris said. “The things that people want to be able to walk into a health care center and be treated with dignity and without judgment, so they can resolve their health care concerns.”

“That’s what these clinics do, and in states where they pass these Trump abortion bans, these clinics are closing, which means there is a widespread reduction in very essential health care for many people,” she added.

Harris’ MSNBC interview was conducted alongside Hadley Duvall, a 22-year-old woman who defends the right to abortion after sexual abuse by her stepfather.

Duvall asked voters to take a stand on the issue at the polls this November.

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve never voted Democrat in your life. It’s getting off your pedestal, because women, we can’t choose much, and you can at least choose who to vote for,” Duvall told Brzezinski.

The interview took place on the two-year anniversary of the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Wade by the Supreme Court, which eliminated the 1973 precedent granting the constitutional right to abortion.

The nation’s highest court granted states the authority to limit or ban abortion procedures, and in the months that followed, several Republican-led states moved forward to pass legislation restricting or banning residents’ access to the procedure.

A total of 14 states have suspended almost all abortion services, while three states have six-week bans, according to an ABC News count.

More of the interview is scheduled to air Monday morning.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story