Harris on abortion rights: "I don't think we should be making concessions"
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Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign event at the Resch Expo Center in Green Bay, Wis, Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images
Vice President Harris suggested during an interview with NBC News on Tuesday that she would not offer "concessions" on protecting access to abortion if she's elected.
Why it matters: Harris has made protecting access to reproductive rights a central tenet of her bid for the White House — and her campaign continues to see the issue of abortion as one of its strongest issues in the final stretch.
Driving the news: NBC's Hallie Jackson, interviewing the vice president at the U.S. Naval Observatory, repeatedly asked Harris "what concessions would be on the table" on reproductive rights if she were elected president next month.
- "I don't think we should be making concessions when we're talking about a fundamental freedom to make decisions about your own body," Harris said.
- When pressed again, Harris said: "I'm not going to engage in hypotheticals because we can go on with a variety of scenarios. ... We need to put back in the protections of Roe v. Wade."
Between the lines: Harris, who has campaigned with former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) in recent days, also said that the former congresswoman is "pro-life," but that "she also understands the pain and the tragedy that has happened since Donald Trump allowed Roe v. Wade to be overturned."
- "So that's my point about what is nonnegotiable," Harris said.
The big picture: Exactly two weeks until Election Day — and voting already underway for millions — the NBC News interview was another chance for Harris to appeal to the relatively small number of voters who are still undecided in the razor-thin race.
- Polls show Harris and former President Trump locked in a razor thin race that will likely be decided by small margins in a few key battlegrounds.
- Harris has repeatedly criticized Trump on the politically salient issue of abortion — and the VP again on Tuesday blamed the former president for appointing three conservative justices who overturned Roe v. Wade.
State of play: Harris has ramped up her media appearances in recent weeks as she seeks to make her final pitch to voters. Last week, she sat for an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier.
- She's also opted for media appearances that seek to target specific audiences, such as the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, which is popular among women listeners.
- Harris is set to participate in a town hall on Wednesday night hosted by CNN.
Go deeper: Harris turns 60: How her age compares to past presidents
