Vice President Kamala Harris to make historic visit to abortion clinic in Minnesota

WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris will visit a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota on Thursday as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to draw attention to the threat to abortion services and other reproductive rights ahead of this year’s presidential election.

Harris, who has helped lead the charge on the administration’s efforts to protect abortion access, will walk through the clinic and speak with staff members, said a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The stop in Minnesota is the sixth on her nationwide “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour and is believed to be the first time a president or vice president has visited a clinic that provides abortion services.

Harris will use her visit to highlight how Minnesota has been impacted by abortion bans in other states that threaten women's health and force them to travel out of state to receive care, the official said.

She will outline what the Biden administration has done to safeguard reproductive rights and highlight efforts by advocates and elected leaders in states like Minnesota to protect those rights following the Supreme Court's 2022 decision overturning of Roe v. Wade, which for five decades provided a constitutional right to an abortion.

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is running aggressively on restoring abortion rights as it gears up for a brutal rematch with former President Donald Trump.

Biden has taken several steps to protect reproductive rights following the Supreme Court's ruling, which has helped boost support for legal abortion to historic highs and reshaped the debate over what has long been the deepest political wedge issue in the nation.

He has issued executive orders protecting access to medication and making legal representation available to women who choose to travel out of state for the procedure. He also has taken steps to expand coverage for no-cost contraception through the Affordable Care Act under a new guidance from federal agencies.

In addition, the administration has worked to expand access to reproductive health services, including family planning and providers, emergency contraception and long-acting reversible contraception such as intrauterine devices.

Biden also made restoring abortion rights a major theme of his State of the Union address last week and blamed Trump for the Supreme Court's ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. Trump appointed three of the justices who tilted the court's conservative majority.

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @mcollinsNEWS.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kamala Harris in Minnesota for historic abortion clinic visit