On Thursday, March 14, Vice President Kamala Harris toured a Planned Parenthood clinic. It was the first time a president or vice president had made a visit to a facility that performs abortions. Ali Velshi explains that this is more historically significant than just an executive branch visit.
Since the fight against reproductive freedom has heated up in the last few years — and especially since the collapse of Roe v. Wade — it may come as a surprise that Harris’ Planned Parenthood visit represents a fundamental shift in the political climate.
In the 1950s and 60s, the legalization of abortion was a bipartisan issue — and effort. After 1973, the Republican Party staked out decidedly anti-abortion positions to court its conservative voters — but Democratic Party acquiesced to this position. The Dems failed to contradict the morality argument anti-abortion politicians; they failed to point out the moral imperative to support women’s rights and basic needs for healthcare.
In the 90s, “safe, legal, and rare” was the Democratic mantra. It meant abortion should only happen when it has to — as if abortion were not a routine part of women’s healthcare. Harris’ visit was long overdue: The party waited until March 14, 2024 to fully acknowledge abortion as necessary for women to live equal lives and remain in control of their own bodies.
LISTEN: ALI VELSHI ON KAMALA HARRIS’S HISTORIC VISIT
WATCH: ALI VELSHI TALKS KAMALA HARRIS, ABORTION, AND THE DEMOCRATS
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