WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday convened a meeting of Florida state legislators who are fighting on the frontlines to protect reproductive rights.
The meeting, held in Orlando, was a follow up to engagements about reproductive rights that the Vice President had with health care providers, faith leaders, constitutional law and privacy experts, advocates, State Attorneys General, and other state legislators from across the country.
During the meeting, Harris conveyed the Administration's commitment to protecting access to reproductive health care, including abortion access. She encouraged the legislators to continue fighting to protect reproductive rights in Florida in the wake of recent Supreme Court decision annulling Roe v. Wade, which upheld the right to have an abortion.
She emphasized that the government should not interfere with the right of every American to make the most intimate decisions about 'heart and home' - including reproductive health care access. The Vice President reiterated the Administration's commitment to partnering with elected leaders at the local, state, and federal level to protect reproductive health care. She also discussed actions the Biden Administration is taking to defend health care access, and applauded the state legislators for their work defending abortion access in Florida.
Florida's legislative leaders told the meeting that extremist legislators in the state are fighting to further limit reproductive health care access.
Florida currently has a 15 week ban on abortion, with no exception for rape or incest. The law came into effect on July 1.
They said abortion bans across other southern states is overwhelming the health systems in Florida.
Harris and the state leaders reaffirmed their commitment to working together to protect reproductive rights for all women across the state of Florida and the nation.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra; Doctor Robyn Schickler, Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida; Florida Senate minority leader Lauren Book; and Leader-Designate Fentrice Driskell also attended the meeting.
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