Harris and Walz made unprecedented abortion clinic visit prior to presidential ticket team-up
Kamala Harris visited a Planned Parenthood clinic earlier this year, marking the first time a sitting VP visited an abortion clinic
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vice President Kamala Harris previously made history alongside her future 2024 running mate when she visited a Minnesota Planned Parenthood earlier this year – in what was seen as the first time a sitting U.S. vice president has ever visited an abortion provider.
"I’m here at this health care clinic to uplift the work that is happening in Minnesota as an example of what true leadership looks like," Harris said from a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota in March.
"The reason I’m here is because this is a health care crisis," she continued. "Part of this health care crisis is the clinics like this that have had to shut down and what that has meant to leave no options with any reasonable geographic area for so many women who need this essential care."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As Harris made history as the first sitting veep to visit an abortion clinic, her future 2024 running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, stood by her side in support. The chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood North Central States, Planned Parenthood’s regional president and CEO Ruth Richardson, and Rep. Betty McCollum also joined Harris at the clinic.
KAMALA HARRIS TORN APART BY PRO-LIFERS FOR HISTORIC TRIP TO ABORTION CLINIC: 'NORMALIZATION OF EVIL'
ST. PAUL, MN. - MARCH 2024: Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the media after touring Planned Parenthood. Behind her are Gov. Tim Walz and Planned Parenthood North Central States Chief Medical Officer Sarah Traxler, MD. Thursday, March 14, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (Photo by Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Harris continued in her remarks that Americans need not "abandon their faith" to support abortion.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government should not be telling women what to do with their body," Harris said during remarks following a tour of the clinic.
"If she chooses, she will consult with her priest, her pastor, rabbi, her imam. But is that for the government to tell her what she can and cannot do with her own body?"
Conservatives and pro-lifers slammed Harris for the visit, saying it was the "normalization of evil."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This is a historic ‘first,’ in the worst possible way. VP Kamala Harris is getting a private tour of a Planned Parenthood in Minnesota today. I'd bet that they'll show her everything except for an actual abortion," Students for Life of America president Kristan Hawkins posted to X at the time.
She added: "PRO-LIFE GEN: If you’re in or near Minneapolis, join us TODAY to show we are NOT going to accept this evil or the promotion and normalization of evil. Expected location of Kamala Harris: Planned Parenthood on Vandalia St."
Following the visit to the abortion clinic, Walz told the media that "old white men" need to talk about abortion and reproductive health more.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think old white men need to learn how to talk about this a little more," Walz told CNN at the time. "And I think the big thing is: Listen to women. Listen to what they’re saying. We’ve seen that when we listen to them, they’re speaking loudly, and they’re speaking at the ballot box."
On Tuesday morning, Harris announced that she had chosen Walz to join her on the presidential ticket as her running mate, just weeks after President Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed his vice president to make a run for the office. Biden dropped out amid mounting concerns over his mental acuity and age, and he has vowed to finish out his term in the Oval Office.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during her visit to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on March 14, 2024. Harris toured an abortion clinic, highlighting a key election issue in what US media reported was the first such visit by a president or vice president. (Photo by Stephen Maturen / AFP) (Photo by Stephen Maturen/AFP via Getty Images) (Stephen Maturen/AFP via Getty Images)
"I am proud to announce that I've asked @Tim_Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his. It's great to have him on the team. Now let’s get to work," Harris announced on X Tuesday.
Planned Parenthood lauded Harris for the choice in a press release, saying Walz and Harris Vice President Harris are "the most pro-reproductive freedom ticket in history."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appear on stage together during a campaign event at Girard College on August 6, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Harris ended weeks of speculation about who her running mate would be, selecting the 60-year-old Midwestern governor over other candidates. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
"Gov. Walz is a longtime champion of sexual and reproductive health care and has been a fierce abortion rights champion as governor, helping to protect abortion rights in Minnesota," Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said.
The press release also noted Walz "made history with Vice President Harris" just months ago in Minnesota.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"As Vice President, Harris visited a Planned Parenthood health center, making her the first vice president in history to do so — and Gov. Walz accompanied her on this historic visit," it read.