In this Jan. 23 file photo, Vice President Harris speaks about abortion rights in Manassas, Va., at one of the campaign’s first big rallies of the year.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
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Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
In this Jan. 23 file photo, Vice President Harris speaks about abortion rights in Manassas, Va., at one of the campaign’s first big rallies of the year.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Vice President Harris is visiting an abortion clinic in Minnesota on Thursday — an extraordinary stop meant to signal the importance the Biden campaign is placing on reproductive rights in the 2024 presidential race.
The White House believes this is the first time any U.S. president or vice president has visited a facility that provides abortions along with other reproductive care.
Harris has led White House’s efforts to fight for reproductive rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The issue has been a winning one for Democrats in elections that took place in 2022 and 2023, and the party has said they believe it will top of mind for voters heading into November.
Harris is going to the Twin Cities for the latest in a series of events she has had around the country highlighting reproductive rights.
Harris will tour the clinic with its chief medical officer
She will get a tour of the abortion clinic with the facility’s chief medical officer and speak with staff, a White House official told NPR, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the tour. The exact location has not been disclosed.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe, Minnesota passed a new law guaranteeing the right to abortion. Neighboring states — including North Dakota and South Dakota — passed bans. That has meant more women traveling to Minnesota for the procedure.
In the last several weeks, she has been to a number of swing states critical for Biden’s reelection, like Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona.
Harris has traveled the country talking about reproductive rights since the 2022 Supreme Court decision, and has also led events at the White House on reproductive care, hosting education leaders, state lawmakers and medical professionals. One of these roundtable conversations included abortion providers, which was also a first at the White House.