The recent leak of a draft US Supreme Court majority opinion on the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling has resulted in outrage among many. Vice President Kamala Harris blasted the Republicans seeking to bar the procedure in her remarks at an event this week.
Speaking at an EMILY’s List conference in Washington Tuesday, Harris said that women’s rights are under attack by the attempts of Republicans to ban abortion. The vice president went on to encourage those in attendance to vote for pro-abortion rights Democrats to Congress while pushing back against the efforts to ban the procedure.
“Roe v. Wade in its power has protected a woman’s right, her right to make decisions about her own body for nearly half a century,” said Harris in her remarks. “If the court overturns Roe v. Wade, it will be a direct assault on freedom, on the fundamental rights to self-determination to which all Americans are entitled.”
“Those Republican leaders who are trying to weaponize the use of the law against women,” Harris went on to say. “How dare they? How dare they tell a woman what she can do and cannot do with her own body? How dare they? How dare they try and stop her from determining her own future? How dare they try to deny women their rights and their freedoms?”
Harris is among the Democrats in Washington who have publicly blasted the leaked draft written by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito regarding the 1973 ruling recognizing a woman’s right to an abortion as constitutionally protected.
This marks Harris’s first event since testing positive for COVID-19 last week. Harris’s spokesperson said Monday that she has tested negative and will return to the White House the next day as per CDC guidelines. Harris did not display any symptoms when she tested positive at the time and worked from the vice president’s residence in Washington during her quarantine period.
The White House said that during her isolation period, Harris remained in touch with her staff and even held a virtual meeting with the leaders of 15 Caribbean nations. Harris was also prescribed the antiviral COVID-19 treatment Paxvloid, which was made available by emergency use by the FDA.