Vice President Kamala Harris, who announced on Sunday her intention to replace President Joe Biden as the presidential Democratic nominee, received immediate support from a few reproductive rights groups and picked up a third endorsement from a reproductive rights group on Wednesday.
The reproductive rights group, Reproductive Freedom for All, formerly known as NARAL Pro-Choice, endorsed Harris on Sunday afternoon, shortly after Harris announced she would seek the top of the Democratic ticket nomination. Emily’s List, which works to support Democratic women for office who are pro-reproductive rights, also endorsed Harris on Sunday afternoon. Planned Parenthood Votes New Mexico, the political side of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, does not endorse in federal races only in state ones, spokesperson Fawn Bolak told NM Political Report in an email. But another arm of Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which does endorse federal candidates, endorsed Harris on Wednesday.
Silvina Alarcón, political director of Reproductive Freedom for All, told NM Political Report that to say that Harris’ bid to be the Democratic nominee running for president is exciting “is an understatement.”
“She has shown she is the leader we need right now in this moment not only to beat the opposition but also to galvanize voters,” Alarcón said.
Alarcón spoke about the Biden-Harris record on reproductive rights, including the administration’s work to approve the first over-the-counter contraception pill to be on the market and the administration’s effort to ensure that pregnant patients in a health emergency can receive an abortion in a hospital’s emergency room. That fight went to the U.S. Supreme Court during this past term but the court dismissed the case and returned it to the lower court.
Related: Supreme Court dismisses abortion case, advocates say it keeps legal questions open
In addition, another inclusion on that list is the administration’s work to appoint more than 200 federal judges to the bench, including Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, according to a list of accomplishments Reproductive Freedom for All provided
Alarcón also said that Harris is the first vice president to visit an abortion clinic and that she talks from “lived experience.”
As a woman of color, Harris is also, “the best messenger,” on reproductive rights, Alarcón said.
“There are so many identities in her nationality, it will help her talk about this issue from experience through that lens,” Alarcón said.
Alarcón said that Harris, when she worked as a prosecutor as California Attorney General, she worked on issues such as gender and crisis pregnancy centers. Harris also prosecuted individuals for crimes against women, Alarcón said.
“She has always used her platform to make issues of women center stage,” Alarcón said.
Some have criticized Biden for appearing to be uncomfortable with the word “abortion,” during his tenure in office. He fumbled his answer when asked a question about abortion rights during the debate against former President Donald Trump last month. Biden is also a devout Catholic, which is frequently mentioned as a possible reason for his discomfort on the issue.
Some feel that Harris became the voice for the administration when it came to reproductive rights because of Biden’s perceived difficulty with the subject.
Emily’s List, a nonprofit group that works to get Democratic pro-reproductive rights women into office, also endorsed Harris on Sunday shortly after her announcement to seek the nomination.
Jessica Mackler, president of Emily’s List, said in a statement that Harris is “an extraordinary and accomplished leader” and “the most qualified and most prepared candidate to meet this unprecedented moment and lead the country.”
“And in a moment when Republicans have launched a full-scale attack on our reproductive rights, an issue that will be the driving force for Democratic wins, Vice President Harris is our most powerful advocate and messenger on this issue…We are thrilled to stand with her,” Mackler said through the statement.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund said through its statement that PPAF endorsed Harris and said that when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago, Harris “stepped up to be a fearless, unapologetic champion for reproductive freedom in the midst of a public health crisis.”
“For the last two years, she has traveled across the country—hosting nearly 100 events—to sound the alarm on the attacks against abortion rights. She was the first vice president in history to visit a Planned Parenthood health center. And her leadership shaped the Biden-Harris administration’s response to the loss of a fundamental right, keeping the needs of patients at the heart of her work,” PPAF said in its statement.
Update: This story has been corrected to reflect that Planned Parenthood Votes New Mexico, not Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, endorses in state races and that Planned Parenthood Votes New Mexico does not endorse in federal races.