Vice President Kamala Harris took a firm stance against making any concessions to GOP lawmakers on any abortion legislation she would pursue as president, despite the likelihood of having divided government if elected.
Harris, who has made the issue of abortion a hallmark of her presidential campaign, has repeatedly called for Congress to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into law.
But when confronted by NBC News’ Hallie Jackson about what “specific concessions” she would make to Republicans in order to pass such abortion legislation, Harris scoffed.
Vice President Kamala Harris said she would not make any concessions to Republicans in order to pass abortion legislation as president. (Screenshot/NBC News)
“What concessions would be on the table? Religious exemptions, for example – is that something that you would consider?” Jackson asked.
“I don’t think we should be making concessions when we’re talking about a fundamental freedom to make decisions about your own body,” Harris responded.
Jackson then cited moderate Republicans like Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, or Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, as lawmakers who would potentially back the Democratic-led push for abortion access.
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Harris would face an uphill battle to get abortion legislation passed on Capitol Hill if she’s elected president but faces a Republican-controlled Congress. (Aaron Schwartz/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
“Would you offer them an olive branch? Or is that off the table?” Jackson asked.
“I’m not going to engage in hypotheticals because we can go on with a variety of scenarios,” Harris responded. “Let’s start with the 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.”
“But what if you can’t do that?” Jackson pressed. “What if you can’t get that passed, and you want to save lives in Florida and in Texas and in Georgia? What do you do at that point?”
“I’m not going to go down that rabbit hole with you right now,” Harris said.
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Abortion has been a motivating political issue for Democrats since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022. (CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)
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The NBC anchor interjected, telling the vice president, “it’s a question that’s out there, because it’s not a guarantee that Democrats will win control of Congress.”
“Well, I’m doing everything I can to make sure that we do,” Harris shot back.