WASHINGTON — First lady Jill Biden will host a roundtable conversation at the White House on Tuesday with women who have been denied medical care in the year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to a White House official.
As part of the administration’s effort to mark the anniversary this week, she will be joined by White House Gender Policy Council Director Jennifer Klein and four women from across the country to “highlight their stories” and the administration’s “commitment to protecting access to reproductive health care,” the official said.
The meeting, first shared with NBC News, will kick off a series of high-profile events focused on the reversal of the landmark decision, which will culminate with a major speech by Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Harris will rally supporters, advocates and community leaders on abortion access, which Biden aides view as a key issue for voters ahead of the 2024 election.
President Biden will also speak around the one-year anniversary with remarks expected later in the week, according to the White House official. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will also mark the occasion, although his plans have not yet been announced.
Harris is also scheduled to sit down Tuesday with MSNBC’s Joy Reid for a televised roundtable discussion on administration’s actions to protect reproductive rights.
Last week, the White House convened more than 80 state legislators from 41 states who are on the front lines of this issue. In her remarks this coming weekend, Harris plans to draw a contrast between the “Republicans’ extreme approach” and the Biden administration’s work to protect reproductive health care, the official said.
The Supreme Court ruling last year became a defining moment and a galvanizing force for Democratic candidates in the 2022 midterm elections, specifically with key voting groups like women and young voters.
The Biden-Harris re-election campaign will also amplify the anniversary as part of its messaging and fundraising efforts, according to an aide.
In the past week, the nation’s largest labor unions and key environmental groups endorsed the 2024 ticket in coordinated shows of support, which could be replicated by major women’s groups this coming week.
“The Biden-Harris Administration stands with the vast majority of Americans who believe that the right to choose is fundamental and that health care decisions should be made between a woman and her doctor,” a White House official said.
The president, first lady, vice president and second gentleman will also all urge lawmakers to codify abortion rights, which has not had enough support to pass on Capitol Hill, even when Democrats controlled both chambers.
“We will continue to call on Congress to pass a law restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade, the only way to secure access to abortion for women in every state,” the official added.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
