VP Kamala Harris raises abortion issue in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Vice President Kamala Harris praised Nevada for its abortion laws during a Las Vegas visit Monday, just days after Arizona’s state Supreme Court ruled that a near-total abortion ban from 1864 is enforceable.

In her speech, Harris said that women’s reproductive rights are at stake this election.

“This is not about politics, this is not about ideology,” Harris told a crowd of about 100 people at the women-owned Bottega Exchange, a coworking and event space in southwest Las Vegas. “This is about the fact that far too many people are suffering and should not have to.”

She lambasted GOP presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, for his stance on abortion and his decision to pick the three United States Supreme Court members that were involved in the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The right to an abortion is protected in Nevada under state law. Gov. Joe Lombardo last year signed legislation that protects abortion rights for out-of-state patients seeking care.

Harris on Monday remarked on Arizona’s stance on abortion and argued that Trump’s return to office would pave the way for a nationwide ban on abortions. She thanked organizers and volunteers in Nevada who are preparing a state ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion rights in the Nevada Constitution. Amendments proposed through an initiative petition must be passed twice, which means would have to approve it in November and again in 2026 for it to take effect.

As the crowd chanted, Harris called for the re-election of Sen. Jacky Rosen and President Joe Biden.

‘Fight for our lives’

Among those speaking was Democratic Arizona state Sen. Eva Burch, who last month announced to fellow lawmakers that she was going to get an abortion because her pregnancy was no longer viable.

“This is the fight for our lives; and I am here for it,” Burch said.

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