Harris to mark anniversary of abortion ruling with North Carolina speech

Vice President Harris will mark one year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with a trip to North Carolina to rally abortion advocates as the state prepares to enact its own ban on the procedure.

Harris will travel to Charlotte, a White House official said, to deliver what is being billed as a “major speech” focused on the Biden administration’s efforts to protect abortion access and Republican efforts to push “extreme legislation” that would severely curtail access.

The vice president is expected to reiterate the White House’s support for a federal law codifying Roe v. Wade, which protected a woman’s right to an abortion, the official said.

North Carolina is currently at the center to the ongoing state-level fight over abortion access. The state Legislature last month voted to override a veto from Gov. Roy Cooper (D) that would have stopped a ban on abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy from going into effect. With the override, the law will go into effect on July 1.

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Harris will also mark the anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling by sitting down for a televised roundtable discussion about the impact of the decision, hosted by MSNBC’s Joy Reid, the White House said.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority last June ruled 6-3 to overturn Roe v. Wade and its roughly 50-year precedent. In the months since, several Republican-led states have moved to pass tougher abortion laws that restrict access to the procedure and impose punishments on doctors and patients who have an abortion.

Harris has emerged as the White House’s leading voice on the issue, hosting advocates and reproductive health officials for meetings and connecting with state legislators who are pushing to maintain access to abortions.