Vice President Kamala Harris sat down with actress Sophia Bush today for an abortion rights event, decrying what they called extremist-led laws passed in states in a post-Roe Vs. Wade environment.
“State after state, we have seen extremists, so-called leaders, propose and pass laws that would criminalize health care providers, some of them literally legislating prison for life, punishing women, making no exception even for rape and incest,”
But the event in San Jose was interrupted by Pro-Palestinian demonstrators, who have been ubiquitous at public events in their calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. Harris and Bush waited on stage for the protesters to be escorted out. “Let me say, in a real democracy, everyone has a right to have their voice heard,” Harris said, adding, “We all want this conflict to end as soon as possible.”
Harris tried to turn back to the discussion about reproductive rights. “We are looking at a situation in our country where there are people who are literally suffering, many, most, silently suffering because of what has been proposed and or passed in states across our country,” Harris said.
A demonstrator continued to shout as Harris tried to talk. Then people in the audience started to chant, “Four more years.” “Yes, we are going to win this election. Yes we will,” Harris said.
“The topic for today, here, is the topic of what has happened in our country after the Dobbs decision, which took away the rights of people to make decisions for their own body,” Harris said.
She also said that there has to be “some consensus that one does not have to abandon their faith to agree that the government should not be telling us what to do with our bodies.”
Harris and Bush previously held an event highlighting abortion rights in October 2022, just before the midterm elections. Voter backlash against the Supreme Court’s decision reversing Roe vs. Wade was widely believed to have had an impact on the elections that year, helping Democrats to do better than expected.
This cycle, the Biden campaign is making abortion a top issue, introducing a campaign ad last week that connected the Supreme Court decision directly to Donald Trump.
Harris was interrupted by more protesters later in the event, while some in the audience began to chant “four more years again.” Harris waited it out before concluding her remarks. “So let us remember, there’s a lot to fight for,” she said.
