On Saturday, the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court docket overturning Roe v. Wade and ending the constitutional proper to abortion, Vice President Kamala Harris shared a message with ELLE readers. Within the unique video—filmed backstage after the vp gave a nationwide tackle in Charlotte, North Carolina, concerning the state of abortion rights within the U.S.—Harris stated: “My concern is that so many ladies are silently struggling, and we need to make it possible for we’re reaching out to let of us know that we’re not gonna choose them. We would like them to know that they exist in a rustic the place there’s care and compassion and an acknowledgement of the precise of every girl to make selections for herself.”
She continued, “I believe on this situation, it’s actually vital to additionally simply bear in mind: You don’t should abandon your religion or your deeply held beliefs to agree that the federal government shouldn’t be telling a lady what to do.”
The vp additionally emphasised the significance of voting for pro-abortion candidates, explaining that “the precise that the Court docket took away, Congress can put again in place.” President Joe Biden has beforehand promised that if Democrats are capable of take management of Congress and garner sufficient votes to go a invoice reinstating the protections of Roe v. Wade, he would signal it into regulation.
Within the yr since Roe fell, 14 states have instated near-total abortion bans, and the chaos that has adopted the Supreme Court docket’s ruling has led to individuals being denied—or being compelled to journey throughout the nation to obtain—important medical care. In North Carolina, the place the vp spoke on the anniversary, most abortions after 12 weeks of being pregnant shall be banned come July 1.
“Because the Supreme Court docket overturned Roe v. Wade, extremist elected officers proceed to undermine and assault girls’s rights, placing their political agenda between a lady and her well being care supplier,” Harris beforehand advised ELLE. “The results of those legal guidelines have been heart-wrenching…This struggle is about defending our rights, defending our freedoms, and making certain all People have entry to the well being care they want.”