Photo: Karyn Regal / WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Arriving to Boston on Thursday, Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris spoke at a roundtable style conference with Massachusetts officials on rights to abortion in a post-Roe v. Wade America.
The Repro Rights event at the IBEW Local 103 on Dorchester's Freeport Street marks the seventh state the vice president has visited to speak about the Biden administration's response to the Supreme Court's decision that overturned precedent providing national rights to abortion. Harris commended the Bay State's efforts to ensure reproductive rights remain in the state despite the high court's majority opinion.
WBZ's Karyn Regal was there for the event, and though no questions were permitted, discussions from officials on reproductive rights were open to the press.
"The work that is happening here in Massachusetts is a model of work that can, and we believe, should happen around the country," Harris said. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, U.S. Department of Defense Undersecretary Gil Cisneros, and other state officials attended the bipartisan discussion.
"This issue about reproductive rights has not been a partisan issue. My mother made clear to me what my position was going to be on this issue when I was very young," Baker said.
Read More: Supreme Court Overturns Roe V. Wade: What Does That Mean For Massachusetts?
The Commonwealth recently passed state legislation protecting abortion rights, codifying several measures taken in Governor Baker's executive order following the Supreme Court's decision. Those measures, now signed into law, adds shields protecting providers who may attract out-of-state legal action, expands access to contraceptives, and issues new requirements for insurers when it comes to covering abortion practices.
"I know that Vice President Harris shares our urgency and conviction— I'm grateful she's here with us today as we lift up the critical steps that we have taken here in Massachusetts, and the shared work ahead as we fight for true healthcare justice," Pressley said.
"We share a fundamental belief: that we trust the women of America to make decisions about what is in their best interests, and we believe it is they who should make that decision, and not their government," Harris said.
Harris and Baker went on to applaud the recent referendum vote in Kansas that concluded in favor of abortion rights.
WBZ's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reports.
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