Vice President Harris will meet with Democratic attorneys general from seven states on Thursday about abortion rights as the White House prepares for a Supreme Court ruling overturning the landmark abortion ruling Roe v. Wade.
Harris will meet with attorneys general from Wisconsin, Nevada, Illinois, California, Delaware, New York, and Washington state at the White House Thursday afternoon to “discuss the fight for reproductive access,” according to a White House official.
“She will thank them for their leadership protecting access to reproductive health care, and she will amplify actions they are taking as models for other states,” the White House official said. “The Vice President has a long record of fighting for the health, safety, and wellbeing of women, including while serving as the Attorney General of California.”
Some of the attorneys general will join the meeting in person while others are expected to join virtually.
Harris, who has been a leading voice for the White House on the abortion issue, and other officials have convened a series of meetings with abortion rights advocates, groups, state officials and other stakeholders over the past several weeks in preparation for the Supreme Court ruling, which will come any time between now and the end of June.
A leaked draft opinion suggesting the court was poised to overturn Roe, the decades-old ruling that said abortion was a constitutional right, sent shockwaves through Washington and the rest of the country back in May.
President Biden has called on Congress to pass a law codifying women’s right to an abortion, but Democrats currently lack the votes to do so in the 50-50 Senate, where they need 60 votes to overcome the GOP filibuster.
The White House is quietly preparing a plan to respond to the eventual Supreme Court ruling. Biden said earlier this month he was considering taking executive action on abortion rights, though the president has very limited options in the steps he can take.
