GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is responding to last night’s town hall with VP Harris hosted by Univision in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The hour-long town hall featured questions for Harris from Latine and Spanish-speaking attendees. One attendee asked, in the second-to-last question: “If you become President, what laws will you enact to ensure abortion is regulated?”
VP Harris responded:
“We are in a situation right now where there are at least 20 states that have Trump abortion bans, because when Donald Trump was President of the United States, he hand selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade. They did as he intended, and now in these states we see bans that criminalize doctors and nurses in Texas, up to prison in life for a doctor or nurse; laws that make no exception for rape or incest, which means you’re telling a survivor of a crime of a violation to their body that they have no right to make a decision about what happens to their body next, which is immoral.
“And what I know is I think most people believe that we should agree: you don’t have to abandon your faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do with her body. If she chooses, she will talk with her priest, her pastor, her rabbi, her imam; but not the government telling people what to do with their own body.
“And I feel very strongly about this. Our daughter is going to have fewer rights than my mother-in-law in this year of our Lord 2024.
“And when we talk about what makes for what is right and what is wrong, I think we agree that there are certain decisions especially over heart and home that the government should just not be making for us; that we can make them for ourselves. And so I feel very strongly about this.
“And I’ll tell you there are probably many people here and watching who rightly have made a decision that they do not believe in abortion. The point that I’m making is not about changing their mind about what’s right for them or their family. It’s simply saying the government shouldn’t be making this decision.
“And the other point I would make is this. What I’m learning as I travel the country on this issue is that people are realizing, some who feel firmly about abortion that they are against it, didn’t realize that what’s happening because of these laws and what Donald Trump did, includes that people who are trying to get in vitro fertilization treatment — IVF — are finding it more difficult or are being denied.
“What people aren’t realizing is because of these laws, women are having miscarriages in parking lots. I’ve met women who wanted to have a baby — they with their husband go then out of an emergency because they’re having a miscarriage to a hospital and denied care because the doctors are concerned they may be put in jail. I’ve met a couple of them who developed sepsis because they were denied care because of these laws.
“So as President of the United States, and if I am elected as the first woman President of the United States, I will proudly sign back into law the protections of Roe v. Wade which basically just says it’s the person’s decision, not the government’s decision. That in essence is what’s behind my position.”
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis responded:
“VP Harris has a long and extensive record about LGBTQ people who unfortunately were not explicitly mentioned in last night’s town hall. One significant concern for our community was addressed, which is the issue of access to health care, including reproductive care, abortion, and the right to make our own private health care decisions among LGBTQ people who can and do get pregnant. For Spanish-speaking and/or Latine LGBTQ people who may face higher rates of discrimination in public services and at the doctor’s office, this concern is even greater.”
Abortion is an LGBTQ issue. Many lesbians, bisexual and queer women, nonbinary and intersex people, and transgender men can and do get pregnant—and can and do seek abortion services and access to reproductive health care.
GLAAD has noted Harris’ full record on abortion and reproductive care here. GLAAD has documented Kamala Harris’ wider LGBTQ record here and the Biden-Harris LGBTQ record here.
Additional research:
- LGBTQ voters made the deciding difference in the 2020 election and are poised to do so again in 2024. More than 1 in 5 Gen Z Americans (ages 18-26) are out as LGBTQ, the most out generation in history. Nearly 30% of Gen Z women are LGBTQ.
- GLAAD’s Accelerating Acceptance Study shows supermajority support for LGBTQ people, though support has dipped in the last year and Gen Z is increasingly a target for harassment and discrimination:
- 80% of non-LGBTQ Americans support LGBTQ equal rights, down from a record high of 84% one year ago
- 95% of non-LGBTQ Americans believe schools should be safe and accepting for all youth
- 93% say children should be taught to appreciate and accept people as they are
- 70% of Gen Z LGBTQ adults report discrimination based on their sexual orientation
- GLAAD polling shows LGBTQ registered voters are highly motivated to vote, with 94% indicating they are definitely (83%) or probably (11%) voting this year.
- GLAAD polling shows 53% of both registered and likely 2024 voters say they would oppose “a political candidate [who] speaks frequently about restricting access to health care and participation in sports for transgender youth.”
GLAAD has documented the records of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on the top issues for LGBTQ voters: the economy (Harris, Trump), abortion (Harris, Trump), climate change (Harris, Trump), public safety (Harris, Trump), and education (Harris, Trump). Trump’s record on transgender people is available here.
