Biden-Harris to prioritize abortion stance for reelection campaign

By Joe Bukuras

CNA Staff, Dec 19, 2023 / 19:05 pm

Vice President Kamala Harris announced she will embark on a tour across the nation promoting abortion rights, beginning on the anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade next month.

In focusing on abortion, the vice president’s tour is set to advance what Biden-Harris reelection campaign communications director Michael Tyler told CNN will be the “central pillar of the campaign moving forward."

Harris’ “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour, announced Tuesday, will include events focusing on the alleged “harm” of abortion bans. The tour is scheduled to begin in the battleground state of Wisconsin on Jan. 22, 51 years after Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationwide in 1973. 

Biden and Harris have vowed to “bring back” the now-overturned Roe v. Wade as the law of the land. The campaign recently launched a pro-abortion campaign ad in several swing states pledging to expand abortion access for women.

When Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, there was no longer a constitutional right to abortion. With states once again regaining the right to regulate abortion, some have enshrined it in their constitutions while others have placed restrictions on the deadly procedure.

A study published in November reported that in the first half of 2023, 32,000 babies’ lives, who otherwise would have been killed, were spared because of the abortion restrictions that have been put in place. 

Harris’ tour promises to “hold extremists accountable” for proposing a national abortion ban, call on Congress to codify Roe v. Wade into law, and promote the Biden administration’s initiatives expanding abortion access.

According to a White House press release, the vice president will be urging attendees to “use their voices and stay engaged in the fight for fundamental freedoms.”

“Across our nation, there is a full-on attack on a woman’s fundamental freedom to make decisions about her own body,” Harris said in a Facebook post accompanied by a video.

“In the new year, I will be traveling the country to organize, build community, and fight back. Because when we fight, we win,” she said.

Previously, in the fall, the vice president had embarked on a “Fight for Our Freedoms College Tour” as part of an effort to mobilize college students to vote and support the administration’s agenda on a variety of issues, including the expansion of abortion.

Joseph Bukuras is a journalist at the Catholic News Agency.  Joe has prior experience working in state and federal government, in non-profits, and Catholic education. He has contributed to an array of publications and his reporting has been cited by leading news sources, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the Catholic University of America. He is based out of the Boston area.