Harris: I Oppose Religious Exemptions on Abortion, Can’t Make ‘Concessions’ on ‘Fundamental Freedom’

During an interview with NBC News on Tuesday, 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris said that religious exemptions on providing abortion would not be on the table for her because we shouldn’t “be making concessions when we’re talking about a fundamental freedom to make decisions about your own body.”

NBC News Senior Washington Correspondent Hallie Jackson asked, “So, is a question of pragmatism then, what concessions would be on the table, religious exemptions, for example, is that something that you would consider if the Republicans control Congress?”

Harris answered, “I don’t think we should be making concessions when we’re talking about a fundamental freedom to make decisions about your own body.”

Jackson then asked Harris if she would be willing to extend an “olive branch” to people like Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME). Harris responded that she wouldn’t engage in hypotheticals and “a basic freedom has been taken from the women of America, the freedom to make decisions about their own body, and that cannot be negotiable, which is that we need to put back in the protections of Roe v. Wade, and that is it.”

Later, after mentioning criticism of the aftermath of the Dobbs ruling by former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) Harris stated, “So, that’s my point about what is non-negotiable, it has to be that we agree that it is so fundamental that we allow women the ability, with their doctor, with — if they choose — talking with their faith leader, to be able to make these decisions and not have the government tell her what to do.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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