Kamala Harris is venturing to Georgia to discuss the topic of reproductive freedoms.
"They made it known that it needed to happen this week," a source informed CNN.
It mirrors the swift planning that put Harris at the forefront of President Joe Biden's past election bid and illustrates the kind of occasions her campaign is leveraging to effect change – and intensify interest – on issues it thinks will provoke voter engagement and encourage voting.
"She leverages her platform to capture the nation's focus on these issues. This is a progression of what she's been doing," a senior Harris aide explained to CNN.
Before ascending to Biden's vice presidential slot, Harris had crisscrossed the nation, delivering forceful critiques of divisive Republican-driven state legislation or laws tackling a variety of topics.
For instance, last year she delivered a passionate speech in Nashville after two Black Democratic state legislators were expelled from the Tennessee State House due to protests against gun control inaction following a city shooting.
This was followed by a trip to Florida, where she condemned Republicans over new guidelines for teaching Black history in the state's public schools.
She also visited Arizona, where she coined the term "Trump abortion bans" in reference to the constraints on the procedure imposed in Republican-controlled states post-Roe v. Wade overturning.
Harris's advisors view her arrival in Georgia as illustrative of this strategy: swiftly addressing significant issues, using her platform to shed light on them, and doing so in a state Democrats are fighting to keep competitive.
A Georgia mother passed away in 2022 from a curable infection due to medical treatment delays resulting from the state's restrictive abortion law, according to nonprofit news outlet ProPublica.
Amber Nicole Thurman, 28, discovered she was pregnant with twins shortly after Georgia's six-week abortion ban was implemented. Trying to schedule a surgical abortion four hours away in North Carolina, she faced traffic, missing her appointment. Instead, she had a medication abortion – approved for up to 10 weeks’ gestation – but subsequently experienced life-threatening complications.
ProPublica also reported on another death deemed "preventable" by Georgia's maternal mortality review committee: Candi Miller, a 41-year-old mother with several health issues, who died in 2022 after experiencing rare, treatable side effects from a medication abortion. Miller's family claimed her family did not seek medical attention due to state pregnancy and abortion regulations, CNN reached out to Miller's family for comment.
Thurman's family attended a Harris-Oprah Winfrey rally on Thursday evening, sharing their story and conveying their emotions to the vice president.
The Harris campaign is optimistic that the reproductive rights issue's political significance can energize voters before Election Day. As the latest New York Times/Siena College poll shows, the vice president remains more trusted on abortion by likely voters compared to Trump.
Campaign representatives highlighted Harris's response to abortion during her debate with Trump as one of her strongest moments, based on internal data suggesting her comments about miscarriages and rape victims resonated most with undecided voters.
Last week, the Harris campaign unveiled an abortion-themed advert, leveraging what officials acknowledged was a crucial exchange between Harris and Trump.
Furthermore, on Wednesday, the campaign released a new ad featuring Hadley Duvall, a reproductive rights advocate and rape survivor who fell pregnant at 12 after being raped by her stepfather following years of sexual abuse.
This strategy of addressing pressing issues and using her platform to bring attention to them is reminiscent of Kamala Harris's involvement in politics during President Joe Biden's election bid. (first sentence)
The Georgia mother's tragic death due to abortion law complications has become a focal point in the ongoing politics of reproductive rights, with reports by ProPublica shedding light on the situation. (second sentence)
