Press Release - Vice President Harris Continues Her Leadership in the Fight for Reproductive Freedom During Historic Visit to Minnesota Health Care Clinic

"We have to be a nation that trusts women," said the Vice President after touring a Planned Parenthood health center in the Twin Cities

WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris continued her leadership in the fight for reproductive freedom yesterday while making a historic visit to a Planned Parenthood health center in Minnesota that provides a range of care including abortion, birth control, and preventative wellness services. During the sixth stop on her nationwide "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour, the Vice President walked through the facility with the clinic provider, spoke with staff, and heard about how the state has been impacted by the overturning of Roe. She also underscored the harm caused by extreme abortion bans, called on Congress to restore the protections of Roe, and highlighted how advocates in states like Minnesota have worked to protect reproductive rights.

"Right now in our country, we are facing a very serious health crisis…In states around our country, extremists have proposed and passed laws that have denied women access to reproductive health care," said Vice President Harris. "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 they are treated with dignity and respect. And please do understand that when we talk about a clinic such as this, it is absolutely about health care and reproductive health care."

The Vice President's tour was led by Dr. Sarah Traxler, the Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood North Central States. She shared that their Planned Parenthood has seen a 25% increase in abortions in Minnesota since Roe was overturned and a nearly 100% increase in patients coming from outside of our state. 

"I am honored that Vice President Kamala Harris has visited our clinic today. It is a historic moment and one that demonstrates how critically important access to reproductive health care is to people and their families across the country," said Dr. Traxler. "After the Dobbs decision a year and a half ago, Minnesota has become a bastion of access for abortion care. But abortion rights are not only a Minnesota issue; it is a national issue…we will keep working until we live in a world where everyone can access the care they decide is best for their futures and their bodies and in their own community."

The "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour is a continuation of the Vice President's consistent leadership in the fight for reproductive rights. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe, she has held more than 80 convenings in 20 states. Thursday's visit to the Twin Cities was part of the her five-state swing after President Biden's State of the Union address. During his speech last week, the President thanked Vice President Harris "for being an incredible leader defending reproductive freedom and so much more."

Read more about the Vice President's visit to a reproductive health care clinic:

NPR: Harris visited an abortion clinic, a first for any president or vice president

Harris said she made the visit to draw attention to the "very serious health crisis" facing women who live in states that placed new restrictions on abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. "We who have the ability to have a bouquet of microphones in front of us, as I do — I take on, then, the responsibility of uplifting these stories," Harris told reporters. […]

Harris' Twin Cities trip was the latest in a series of events she has had around the country highlighting reproductive rights since Roe was overturned.

Washington Post: In history-making visit, Harris tours Minnesota abortion clinic

Harris, the first female vice president, has become a leading voice on reproductive rights for the Biden administration since the Supreme Court's decision in June 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade. Her visit to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area is part of a multistate tour on the heels of President Biden's State of the Union address last week. […]

Harris also said that, in the wake of the decision to overturn Roe, there has been a "health-care crisis" that included the shutdown of clinics across the country that provide reproductive health care, including abortions. The situation, she said, has left "no options within a reasonable geographic area for so many women who need this essential care" at these clinics, which provide an array of reproductive services beyond abortions, such as cancer screenings and access to birth control.

USA Today: Kamala Harris declares 'health crisis' in historic visit to abortion clinic in Minnesota

Vice President Kamala Harris made a historic visit to an abortion clinic in the Twin Cities Thursday, demanding "we have to be a nation that trusts women" and declaring that access to reproductive medical care has spiraled into a "health crisis." […]

Harris, the nation's first female vice president, has become the White House's leading voice on restoring abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending a 50-year constitutional right to an abortion and prompting several Republican-led states to pass laws limiting abortion access. "In this environment, these attacks against an individual's right to make decisions about their own body are outrageous and, in many instances, just plain old immoral. How dare these elected leaders believe they are in a better position to tell women what they need, to tell women what is in their best interest?" Harris said.

CNN: Kamala Harris becomes first VP to visit abortion provider with Planned Parenthood visit

The vice president traveled to Minnesota for the sixth stop of her "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour. She toured the Planned Parenthood facility and spoke with staff about reproductive rights. "The reason I'm here is because this is a health care crisis," Harris said. "Part of this health care crisis is the clinics like this that have had to shut down and what that has meant to leave no options with any reasonable geographic area for so many women who need this essential care."

ABC News: VP Harris visits abortion clinic

Vice President Kamala Harris visited an abortion clinic in Minnesota on Thursday, a trip believed to be the first of its kind for any president or vice president. The visit spotlighted the central role Harris is playing in the administration's push on preserving abortion access and reproductive rights in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's overruling of Roe v. Wade. […]

Harris' travel to Minneapolis is part of her "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour, which she kicked off this past January on what would have been the 51st anniversary of Roe. It will be her sixth stop on the tour after visits to Wisconsin, California, Michigan, Georgia and Arizona.

NBC News: Kamala Harris visits Planned Parenthood, the first president or vice president in U.S. history to visit a clinic that provides abortion services

Harris, who has become a prominent voice in the Biden administration on the issue of abortion, said she made the trip to highlight the work happening in such clinics and to hammer home the point that women need more access to reproductive healthcare in the aftermath of the Supreme Court overruling Roe v. Wade. […]

She also said she wanted to come to St. Paul specifically because in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade being overruled, Minnesota workers have been providing care to an influx of out-of-state patients as states around it have restricted access to abortion. 

New York Times: At Abortion Clinic Visit, Harris Says U.S. Is Confronting 'Health Care Crisis'

Vice President Kamala Harris described the flood of laws restricting abortion access as a "health care crisis" as she visited with abortion providers and staff members on Thursday at a clinic in St. Paul, Minn. The stop by Ms. Harris at the Planned Parenthood clinic was believed to be the first official visit by a vice president to an abortion clinic. No presidents are known to have made such visits, either.

Associated Press: In a first, Vice President Harris visits Minnesota abortion clinic to blast 'immoral' restrictions

"How dare these elected leaders believe they are in a better position to tell women what they need," Harris said. "We have to be a nation that trusts women." Harris said she met two dozen health care workers at the clinic who had created an environment where patients can "be safe" and "free from judgement."

The Hill: Harris visits Planned Parenthood clinic: 'We have to be a nation that trusts women'

Harris noted the clinic offered abortion care, contraceptive care and breast cancer screenings, all of which she said are critical for women's health. She warned access to such care was becoming increasingly difficult in certain states that have restricted abortion access and rolled back funding, forcing similar clinics to close and leading women to travel out of state for abortions. […]

The Minnesota trip was part of Harris's post-State of the Union travel, during which she highlighted the fight for abortion rights and the White House's legislative accomplishments. It is also part of her broader "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour, during which she has specifically focused on the issue of abortion, set to play a significant role in November's election.

CBS News: Kamala Harris visits Minnesota clinic that performs abortions: "We are facing a very serious health crisis"

Harris toured the facility, spoke with staff and was briefed on how Minnesota has been affected by abortion bans in surrounding states. The center provides a range of services, including abortion, birth control and preventative wellness care. […]

Harris said these attacks against an "individual's right to make decisions about their own body are outrageous and in many instances, plain old immoral." "How dare these elected leaders who are in believe they are in a better position to tell women what they need, to tell women what is in their best interests," Harris said. "We have to be a nation that trusts women." 

Star-Tribune: Vice President Harris makes historic visit to Planned Parenthood in St. Paul

She thanked the clinic employees, Walz, McCollum and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter for maintaining access to care. She denounced restrictions in other states that prevent women from obtaining similar care "within any reasonable distance" of their home. "I've heard stories of and met with women who've had miscarriages and women who were being denied emergency care because the health care providers there at an emergency room were afraid that, because of the laws in their state, that they could be criminalized, sent to prison for providing health care," she said.