GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on Jan. 22, 2024.
Vice President Kamala Harris is coming to Grand Rapids next week for her fourth visit to Michigan since being sworn in.
It's part of her nationwide “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour, which aims to highlight how states like Michigan have passed legislation enshrining abortion access despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Harris kicked off her tour on Jan 22., the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, in Wisconsin. Michigan is her fourth stop. She plans to travel to Grand Rapids on Thursday, Feb. 22.
“Extremists across our country continue to wage a full-on attack against hard-won, hard-fought freedoms as they push their radical policies – from banning abortion in all 50 states and criminalizing doctors, to forcing women to travel out of state in order to get the care they need,” Vice President Harris said. “I will continue to fight for our fundamental freedoms while bringing together those throughout America who agree that every woman should have the right to make decisions about her own body – not the government.”
Harris is calling on Congress to restore Roe protections.
In Michigan, voters approved a 2022 proposal known as Proposal 3 that added Roe-style abortion rights to the state's constitution.
Should a federal ban be implemented, the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution would demand that it take precedence over any state laws protecting abortion rights.
According to ABC News, former President Donald Trump stopped short of saying explicitly whether he would sign a federal ban if sent back to the White House.
Others in West Michigan say they'd welcome such a ban, having seen the fall of Roe as a victory.
"We would love to see a federal ban on abortion, that would be amazing," Grand Rapids Right to Life President Laura Alexandria said previously. "Is that probably going to happen soon? I would doubt it. So, we want to continue fighting in our communities, and we will try our best to establish laws that do protect women, in addition to, as I've said before, showing women that there are other options."
Even in the shadow of Roe, it's a fight that goes on as the country hurtles toward a critical election in November.
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