Kamala Harris puts abortion at center of presidential race during suburban Milwaukee rally

BIG BEND – Vice President Kamala Harris made clear Monday abortion would be central to a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — seeking to capitalize on an issue that has heavily motivated voters in this battleground state.

"We need to understand the horrific reality that women face every single day. Since Roe was overturned, I have met women who have had miscarriages in toilets because they were refused care," Harris told a crowd gathered at the headquarters of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 7 in Waukesha County.

"As we face this crisis, as we are clear-eyed about the harm, let us also understand who is responsible," the vice president said, referring to Trump's nomination of three U.S. Supreme Court justices who in 2022 voted to overturn the landmark decision that provided a constitutional right to an abortion for five decades.

"He intended for them to take your freedoms. And it is a decision he brags about," she said. "Proud that women across our nation are suffering? Proud that women have been robbed of a fundamental freedom? That doctors could be thrown in prison for caring for patients? That young women today have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers? How dare he."

The Supreme Court decision revived a dormant 19th Century state law that banned abortions in Wisconsin in every situation except when the mother would die without one. But last year, a Dane County judge ruled the law did not apply to consensual abortions, which prompted Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin to resume abortion services.

The issue remains politically salient for Democrats in Wisconsin who have seen increased voter mobilization over the issue in two of the last three major statewide races: for governor and state Supreme Court.

More: In the ground game to engage Black Milwaukee voters, signs of waning enthusiasm for 2020 rematch

Women did not have access to abortions in Wisconsin for around 15 months following the ruling, the effects of which Harris made her focus during her first stop on a nationwide tour focused on abortion access.

Ahead of Harris' visit to Wisconsin, Biden took steps to expand access to abortion medication and contraception, the latest move by his administration to counter a wave of state abortion bans while he makes reproductive rights a centerpiece of his reelection bid.

The new actions include expanding coverage for no-cost contraception through the Affordable Care Act under new guidance from federal agencies. Federal employees will also receive greater access to contraception under guidelines issued to certain insurers.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is also expected to send a letter to private insurance companies and state Medicaid and Medicare programs reinforcing that they must provide no-cost contraception to individuals they serve.

The new steps and Harris' visit to Wisconsin coincide with the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion.

During her remarks, Harris also incorrectly described why abortions were suspended in Wisconsin following the Supreme Court ruling.

"These extremists want to roll back the clock to a time before women were treated as full citizens — Wisconsin to the 1800s. Just look at what happened here in this beautiful state of Wisconsin. After Roe was dismantled, extremists evoked a law from 1849 to stop abortions in this state," Harris said. "As a result, across this state, reproductive care clinics had to close. And hospitals had to turn women away."

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, an existing state law banning abortions that had been defunct under Roe went back into effect after the ruling was overturned.

Harris' visit took place the same day Republican lawmakers held a hearing on a bill that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has promised to veto that would ban abortions in Wisconsin after 14 weeks, except in situations that would jeopardize the mother's life or health.

Harris blasted the bill, calling it a proposal from "extremists" because it does not include exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape and incest.

Harris kicked off the nationwide tour focused on abortion access in one of the most important Wisconsin counties to Republicans that has in recent elections delivered smaller and smaller margins for the party. Just a decade ago, Waukesha County delivered a near 50-point victory for then-Gov. Scott Walker's reelection. In 2012, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney won by 35 points. Both margins have declined to around 20 points in the most recent races.

In Wisconsin, where statewide races are often decided by a few thousand votes, Democrats are targeting Waukesha County voters who may be swayed to the Democratic side on issues of broader consensus in the state, like abortion.

Marquette University Law School polling from June showed 59% of voters living in the Milwaukee media market but not in the city of Milwaukee, which includes Waukesha County, supported legal abortion in all or most cases. Thirty-nine percent supported banning abortion in all or most situations.

Republicans hit Biden administration on the economy and southern border

Ahead of Harris’ visit, Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Brian Schimming said in a call with reporters that the vice president was in Wisconsin to divert attention from the economy, inflation and the U.S.-Mexico border.

“They cannot defend their record, so they need to try to distract people from their record,” he said.

He also slammed Harris’ comments last week on the Assembly GOP bill that would reduce the timeframe for legal abortions in the state by six weeks, down to 14 weeks of pregnancy except in cases where the mother's life or health would be in danger without the procedure.

Schimming said in her comment that the bill’s authors were “extremists,” Harris “must be insinuating that the voters are extremists.” He cited a Gallup poll that found 55% of Americans oppose abortion being legal in the second trimester.

Schimming also criticized Evers for promising to veto the bill, which would require voters to approve the policy before it could take effect.

“I'm curious why the governor and why the Democrats at the Capitol don't want to put the issue before the voters. … My question is, what are they afraid of?” he said.

Evers has said he does not support reducing access to abortions in Wisconsin, which are currently banned after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Joey Garrison of USA Today and Alison Dirr of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Kamala Harris rallies Wisconsin audience around abortion access