Vice President Kamala Harris took to the streets of Los Angeles to decry “extremist” attacks on abortion rights during an impromptu stop at the City of Angels’ Women’s March on Saturday.
Ms. Harris was joined by second gentleman Douglas Emhoff for the surprise stop outside of L.A. City Hall.
“Around our country, supposed so-called extremist leaders, who would dare to silence the voice of the people, a United States Supreme Court, the highest court in our land, that took a constitutional right that had been recognized from the people of America,” she said.
“We have seen attacks on voting rights, attacks on fundamental rights to love and to marry the people that you love, attacks on the ability of people to be themselves and be proud of the people who they are,” she added. “And so this is a moment that history will show required each of us, based on our collective love of our country to stand up for, and fight for, to protect our ideals.”
The “March for Reproductive Rights,” was organized by Women’s March Action in response to “Conservative Texas Judge’s attempt to override the FDA’s approved mifepristone, effectively enacting a national abortion ban.”
Texas District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk ordered a hold last week on federal approval of mifepristone, a pharmaceutical used to terminate pregnancies. That ruling split with an opposite ruling issued nearly simultaneously by Washington state District Judge Thomas O. Rice.
The Justice Department on Friday filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court asking the justices to undo the Texas ruling.
Ms. Harris has called restrictions on abortion “immoral” and has promised the White House would push back on efforts to ban mifepristone.
“There are now partisan and political attacks attempting to question the legitimacy of a group of scientists and doctors who have studied the significance of this drug,” she said in February. “There is now an attempt by politicians to remove it from the ability of doctors to prescribe and the ability of people to receive.”
