Kamala Harris Will Be The First Vice President To Visit An Abortion Clinic

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Minnesota on Thursday.

Harris plans to tour a clinic in the Twin Cities area and speak to physicians about how they’ve been impacted by abortion bans outside of the state, a White House official told HuffPost. The stop, first reported by NBC News , is part of the vice president’s Fight for Reproductive Freedoms tour, and she will be joined by Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.).

Minnesota has become an abortion safe haven in the Midwest since the U.S. Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade in 2022. North Dakota and South Dakota enacted near-total abortion bans right after the high court decision, and Nebraska has a 12-week ban on the books. After the state saw an uptick in out-of-state patients , Walz signed a “refuge” law that shielded people traveling to Minnesota for abortions from legal consequences in their home states.

The clinic provides abortion care, as well as birth control and other reproductive health services. The name and location of the clinic have not been released yet. Planned Parenthood did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.

The vice president may speak with patients, but she does not want to disrupt any appointments while she’s there, NBC News reported. A White House official said Harris will highlight the work of pro-choice advocates and lawmakers in Minnesota and discuss how the Biden-Harris administration plans to protect reproductive freedom in the coming months.

Harris’ trip is believed to be the first to an abortion clinic for any president or vice president. This is the vice president’s third visit to Minnesota since she took office.

Harris has been the more outspoken