Harris calls out Beyoncé for Houston reproductive rights rally

With just over a week until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris is stopping in Houston on Friday to give a speech on abortion rights with the help of singer Beyoncé, according to sources familiar with the planning.

Although Texas seems like an odd choice in the run-up to the election, when both candidates are targeting key battleground states, the campaign claims it was chosen because of its restrictive abortion ban, which bans abortion in almost all circumstances. It also allows private citizens to sue abortion providers and those who assist patients seeking an abortion after approximately six weeks of pregnancy.

Abortion remains a rallying issue among Democrats who managed to avoid a “red tide” during the 2022 midterms by focusing their messaging around it. The campaign says reproductive freedom is still a top issue among undecided voters and considers Texas “ground zero.”

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The campaign said it plans to feature powerful stories from more women whose lives have been put at risk by these abortion bans. This includes Ondrea, a woman from Texas who shared her first story in a the new Harris campaign ad this week. Ondrea was pregnant in the fall of 2022, but when her water broke at 16 weeks, she was told her daughter would not survive. She was not given the necessary medical care — an abortion, the ad said. The ad shows the wound and scarring Ondrea says she suffered after a six-hour emergency surgery — during which doctors cut her from her breast to her pelvis to save her life.

On Friday, Harris said the Texas abortion ban will be central to the event.

“It’s a very important state, and we’re here to really highlight that, unfortunately, Texas’ elected leaders, many of them, have made Texas ground zero in this fundamental fight for women’s freedom to make decisions about their own bodies. So tonight we’re going to talk about the impact of this, not only on women and their families, but on people across the country because of Trump’s abortion bans,” she said.

“And I think it’s extremely important to recognize that this is not just a political debate, this is not just a theoretical concept. There has been real harm in our country, there has been real suffering. People have died,” he said. she added.

Harris’ rally will also feature Houston native Beyoncé. Although the popular “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer has yet to officially endorse Harris, the vice president uses Beyoncé’s “Freedom” as her theme song, which is often woven into her messages.

Also in attendance will be popular folk singer Willie Nelson, another Texas native, along with Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, who has campaigned for Harris in the past.

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It is not yet clear whether Beyonce and Nelson will perform.

About two hours away, former President Trump will also be in Austin, Texas, where he will talk about immigration before interviewing influential podcaster Joe Rogan, who has the most listened to podcast in the United States.

Harris will travel to Michigan on Saturday, where she will campaign with former first lady Michelle Obama for the first time after holding her first joint rally with former President Barack Obama at a get-out-the-vote rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday. .

Harris calls out Beyoncé for Houston reproductive rights rally originally appeared on abcnews.go.com