Harris Backs Filibuster End for Roe Restoration.

Vice President Kamala Harris, during a campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin, on September 20th, made a bold statement that sent shockwaves through the political landscape. Addressing a packed crowd of 10,500, she declared her unwavering support for a drastic change in the Senate, a move that could have profound implications for the future of reproductive rights in the United States.

Harris, in an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio, unequivocally stated her belief that the Senate should abolish the filibuster rule, a long-standing procedural tool that requires 60 votes for most legislation to pass. This, she argued, is the only way to reinstate the federal protections for abortion rights that once existed under Roe v. Wade, which was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022.

"I've been very clear, I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe, and get us to the point where 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do," Harris asserted to WPR host Kate Archer Kent.

Harris' comments come as she aims to solidify the distinction between herself and former President Trump on this highly contentious issue, one that is expected to be a major factor in the upcoming presidential election. While she has previously voiced support for ending the filibuster, including on the issue of reproductive rights, she has rarely addressed it since President Biden’s decision to forgo a reelection bid and endorse her as his successor. Her message holds particular weight in Wisconsin, a crucial swing state where legal abortions were virtually nonexistent for nearly 15 months following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe.

Harris has directly blamed Trump for the unraveling of Roe, stating as recently as Friday that he is the "architect" of the health care crisis stemming from the Supreme Court's decision – a decision that was facilitated by the three Supreme Court justices appointed by Trump. In the same speech, she referenced recent reporting from ProPublica detailing the deaths of two Georgia women, after the implementation of the state's new abortion law, which a state committee of maternal health experts deemed “preventable.”