Kamala Harris blasts ‘plain old immoral’ abortion bans during historic visit to Planned Parenthood clinic

Vice-president Kamala Harris put the battle over reproductive rights on centre stage as the Biden-Harris re-election bid seeks to capitalise on strong opposition to conservative victories ahead of November’s showdown with Donald Trump.

Ms Harris was in Minnesota on Thursday where she appeared at a Planned Parenthood clinic in St Paul which provides abortion services, although details of the visit are under stricter guard than what would typically be released about a campaign stop headlined by the vice-president. The visit was first reported by NBC News just a day before it was set to occur, and the news was not attributed to any White House spokesperson, only sources with knowledge of Ms Harris’s plans.

Her visit is thought to be the first time any sitting president or vice president has appeared at a clinic that provides abortion services.

Ms Harris’s tour of the clinic was not in front of the cameras; she spoke to reporters at a press conference alongside Planned Parenthood staff following her meetings with doctors and patients inside the facility. In her remarks, she denounced what she said were “plain old immoral” bans on abortion care that she said were leaving women without access to a wide range of care in many areas across the US.

“How dare these elected leaders believe they are in a better position to tell women what [doctors] need to tell them, and what is in their best interest?” demanded the vice-president.

“I'm here at this health care clinic, to uplift the work that is happening in Minnesota as an example of what true leadership looks like. Which is to understand it is only right and fair, that people have access to the health care they need, and that they have access to health care in an environment where