Kamala Harris isn’t planning to compromise when it comes to women’s reproductive freedom — even if she were to become president with a GOP-controlled congress. “I don’t think we should be making concessions when we are talking about a fundamental freedom to make decisions about your own body,” she told NBC News’ Hallie Jackson.
Jackson’s initial question was asked in reference to the distinct possibility that Harris will be faced with a Republican-controlled Congress should she win the presidential election. “So what specific concessions would you be willing to make in order to get something done on abortion access as soon as possible?” Jackson asked.
“Well, first of all, look at what has happened since the Dobbs decision came down, a decision that is a direct result of the fact that Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention they would undo the protections of Roe. They did as he intended. And now in 20 states, we have Trump abortion bans, which some make no exceptions for rape or incest,” Harris answered.
This reality means that health care providers face legal consequences, she added, including “prison for life for doctors and nurses if they provide reproductive care.”
Jackson also asked if Harris would extend “an olive branch” to Republicans like Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who have demonstrated they are receptive to some left-leaning reproductive legislation.
“I’m not gonna engage in hypotheticals because we could go on a variety of scenarios. Let’s just start with a fundamental fact, a basic freedom has been taken from the women of America: the freedom to make decisions about their own body. And that cannot be negotiable, which is that we need to put back in the protections of Roe v Wade. And that is it,” Harris answered.
You can watch the entire with Kamala Harris in the video above.
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