| “When the Vice President came to Indiana in August on the first day of the special session called to ban abortion, she brought the national spotlight to our state and fight. While we are relieved that our state’s ban is temporarily blocked in court, we have a long road ahead to secure reproductive rights in Indiana and are grateful for the continued partnership of the Biden-Harris Administration.”
- Indiana House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta |
As part of her travel to 16 states and meetings with more than 250 state legislators over the past year, the Vice President met with state leaders, health care providers, and advocates in states such as Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia – all places where Republican state elected officials were considering abortion bans. And in Florida, on what would have been the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, the Vice President marked the moment in history—the first time that the Supreme Court took away a constitutional right so fundamental to so many American people—while calling attention to abortion bans in Florida and across the country. Overall, Vice President Harris has held nearly 50 convenings to bring together leaders on the frontlines fighting to protect reproductive rights.
The White House has also brought state leaders to Washington, DC and together virtually to share best practices and successful strategies. In a fall 2022 White House convening of legislators from 12 states that have banned abortion and additional informal gatherings, leaders developed a multi-state network of like-minded partners and planned for legislative fights in the months ahead. In January 2023, the White House convened a meeting of legislators from states on the frontlines of the fight for reproductive rights, during which legislators discussed their strategies to defend against new attacks on reproductive rights this session. Many of these legislators attended the subsequent June 2023 convening at the White House to reflect on tactics from the 2023 session and plan for a proactive policy and messaging agenda in the year ahead.
Supporting State Efforts to Safeguard Access to Reproductive Health Care
| “You all have not only been local and state leaders but national leaders in defending, fighting for, and protecting the rights of the American people.”
- Vice President Harris in Pennsylvania, 7/16/22 |
The White House has also supported a network of state legislative leaders in states where abortion rights remain protected – facilitating an exchange of policy ideas to support legislators’ agendas to strengthen access to care. Vice President Harris has highlighted the progress being made by legislative leaders in travel to states such as California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey – and celebrated further progress in states such as Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Vermont, and Washington.
By the one-year anniversary of Dobbs, the White House will have hosted five formal working-group meetings of state legislators drafting and advancing bills to protect access in states where abortion remains lawful. These meetings have featured speakers such as senior officials in New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s administration to discuss allocating state funds to train the next generation of physicians providing the full range of reproductive health care. Other states, such as California and Maryland, have similarly dedicated funds to support provider recruitment and training.
4 of 5
