Kamala Harris Brings ‘Palpable’ Energy To One Of The Election’s Most Important Issues

Many reproductive rights advocates let out a quiet sigh of relief when President Joe Biden announced on Sunday afternoon that he would not seek reelection . Shortly after, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, quickly shifting the political landscape on one of the most important issues of the 2024 presidential election.

Pro-choice advocates have repeatedly knockedthe president for not being more aggressiveon abortion rights. Nearly half the country has effectively criminalized abortion care since the Supreme Court repealed federal protections, and the president still struggles to say the word “abortion.”Several progressive abortion rights groups have also criticized Biden for his “Restore Roe” campaign —a welcomed move for a president to center abortion care — but some said it didn’t go far enough given how deeply flawed Roe v. Wade was.

But Harris is a different story. The vice president has been the administration’s biggest defender of abortion rights in the two years since the Dobbs ruling. She has met with reproductive rights groups at the White House, traveled around the country highlighting the harms of abortion bans and advocated for affordable child care and paid family leave. Earlier this year, she became the first president or vice president to visit an abortion clinic . She also doesn’t seem to have a problem saying the word abortion.

“As vice president, her voice has been critical in elevating the conversation on abortion since Roe was overturned,” said Renee Bracey Sherman, founder and executive director of abortion storytelling organization We Testify.

“The fact that she has visited abortion clinics and met with abortion providers, that’s leadership that we were asking of the president and he