Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday that the Biden administration was not considering allowing abortions to be performed on federal lands in states that restrict the procedure following Friday’s Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v.
The idea was introduced Friday by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and echoed on Sunday by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) After the court rescinded federal abortion rights and went allow states to establish their own policies.
Harris is the first woman to hold office, but she faced criticism from abortion rights advocates who said she seemed on the sidelines when she posted a photo of herself watching the cable news coverage of the Air Force Two court decision.
CNN reporter Dana Bash asked Harris in an interview Monday: “Can the administration expand access to abortion or abortion services on federal lands, that is, provide access to federal lands that could be in states that prohibit abortion? “
“I think the most important thing right now is to make sure that the restrictions that states are trying to establish that would prohibit a woman from exercising what we still hold is her right, that we do everything we can to empower women not just seek but receive attention where it’s available, ”Harris said.
Vice President Kamala Harris said the Biden administration was not investigating the possibility of allowing abortions to be performed on federal grounds. Bloomberg via Getty Images The vice president received criticism from abortion rights advocates for posting a photo seeing the coverage of the court ruling. Kamala Harris
“Is federal land one of those options?” Bash pressed.
“I mean, it’s not what we’re discussing right now,” Harris said, before leading the conversation toward the November midterm election, which Republicans have been favored to win because of public frustration at the high inflation and record gas prices.
“I will say that when I think about what is happening in terms of states, we must also acknowledge, Dana, that we are 130 odd days away from an election, which will include races in the Senate in part. The problem here is that the court he has acted and now Congress must act, ”Harris said.
Harris said the Biden administration believes that seeking an abortion is a right that women are entitled to. STEFANI REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images
“But we, if you count the votes, don’t look like we have the votes in the Senate. Well, there are elections.”
Ocasio-Cortez proposed using federal lands to create islands of access to abortion in restrictive states while talking to protesters on the night of the sentencing in Union Square in New York City.
“There are also actions available to President Biden that he can mobilize,” AOC said. “I’ll start with the newest baby of the baby steps: right now he’s opening abortion clinics in federal lands in the red states. Right now.”
The U.S. Supreme Court decided to overturn the constitutional right to abortion on Friday. Alex Scott / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Warren echoed the lawsuit Sunday, telling ABC that Biden should “make abortion as available as possible with the tools it has, including medication abortion, including the use of federal land as a place where abortions may occur “.
Harris, who downplayed possible 2024 presidential aspirations in Monday’s interview, also told Bash that the three Supreme Court justices appointed by President Donald Trump were never believed when they told senators they would respect the court’s precedents. .
“I never believed them … that’s why I voted against them,” Harris said.
Harris dismissed the idea of using his “bully pulpit” to influence 50 senators to change Senate rules to allow a federal abortion bill to be passed by an absolute majority, he told Bash : “We don’t have the numbers in the Senate.”
Harris said the Biden administration would fight to ensure women have access in all states to FDA-approved drugs that can cause an abortion. Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Biden administration said after Friday’s court ruling that it would fight to ensure that women have access to all states to FDA-approved drugs that can cause an abortion and to ensure that women can travel from more states. restrictive to less restrictive states for the procedure.
When asked about his initial reaction to the court ruling, Harris said, “It surprised me and you know, one thing is when you know, something will happen. It’s another thing when it really happens.”
“In fact, I went to CNN and I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. Because they really did,” he added.
Harris went on to say how he thought the sentence would affect several people in his life.
“Everyone has something at stake in this. First, if you’re a parent, think about what that means for your child’s life and what it will mean in terms of the choices you will have,” Harris said.
“Think of it in the context of the fact that they wrote this decision, including concurring opinions that suggest other rights, such as the freedom to make decisions about when I was going to start a family, the freedom and the right to make decisions. on contraception, IUDs, what this would mean in terms of in vitro fertilization. “
Harris said a concurring opinion from Clarence Thomas calling for reconsideration of court rulings on several other rights, including contraceptive use and marrying someone of the same sex, “the quiet part said in a voice high “.
While other Conservative judges explicitly ruled out the decision on abortion related to other rights, Harris said, “I definitely think this is not over.”
“We all need to really understand the importance of what just happened,” Harris said. “This is profound. And the way this decision has been made has been so driven, I think, by the politics of the issue versus what the values we should give to freedom and liberty should be in our country.”
In another exchange, Harris told CNN’s Bash that she will not run in 2024 to be the first American woman to be president.
“Joe Biden is running for re-election and I will be his ballot partner,” he said.