Thursday 19 May 2022 08:40 PM Kamala Harris slams Oklahoma's 'outrageous' bill banning abortion at ... trends now
Vice President Kamala Harris warned on Thursday that overturning the federal abortion protections granted by Roe v. Wade would be an assault on the right 'to live and love without interference from the government.'
Just before Harris spoke, Oklahoma's state House passed a bill that would ban abortions at conception.
The vice president commented on the 'outrageous' nature of the legislation, noting that if passed it would be the strictest law against abortion in the country.
'Just half an hour ago in Oklahoma, the state legislature passed one of the most extreme abortion bans in the country- a ban that would outlaw abortion from the moment of fertilization,' Harris told reporters.
'Think about that for a second: from the moment of fertilization. It's outrageous, and it's just the latest in a series of extreme laws around the country.'
Critics of the bill fear that conservative lawmakers' next step would be banning contraception altogether. Oklahoma's Republican Governor Kevin Stitt has signaled that he will sign the bill if it gets to his desk.
Her meeting came amid heightened tensions in Washington, DC and across the country as the Supreme Court weighs overturning the federal abortion protections granted in the landmark decision Roe v. Wade.
Overturning Roe v. Wade would send the issue of abortion rights back to the states - 26 of which are likely to outlaw the medical procedure once possible.
Harris said Thursday that it would be 'the first time in the last 50 years, at least, that the court has recognized a Constitutional right only to take it away.'
Kamala Harris met with four abortion providers from across the country during a virtual event at the White House on Thursday afternoon
The vice president has been among the most outspoken members of the Biden administration on the issue of abortion rights
Her meeting occurred less than an hour after Oklahoma's Republican-led legislature passed the country's most severe abortion ban yet
'This, when and if it happens, will be a an extreme step backward. And it represents a threat not just to women, but to all Americans. The right to privacy that forms the basis of Roe is the same right to privacy that protects the right to use contraception and the right to marry the person you love,' the vice president said.
'Overturning Roe opens the door to restricting those rights. It would be a direct assault on the fundamental right to self-determination, to live and love without interference from the government.
'At its core, this is about our future as a nation, about whether we live in a country where the government can interfere in personal decision.'
She added that overturning the landmark Supreme Court decision would 'have real and immediate effects on women around our country.'
In a statement before the meeting, the White House said: 'The Vice President will hear stories from abortion providers who are working in states with some of the most extreme abortion restrictions, and she will thank them for fighting to protect reproductive health care, despite personal risk.'
The administration said she would 'emphasize that the Administration will continue to defend women's constitutional rights and protect access to abortion.'
There are 18 states that have near-total bans on their books, while four more have time-limit bans and four others are likely to pass new bans if Roe is overturned
The four abortion providers Harris is meeting
