PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Vice President Kamala Harris was in Philadelphia Saturday to meet with lawmakers and health care providers about reproductive care and abortion access.
Speaking at the the Carpenters Union Hall on 18th and Spring Garden streets, Harris addressed the issue of lawmakers restricting citizens’ rights to abortion and the ability of people to make decisions about their own bodies.
"States and so-called leaders are passing laws that would criminalize medical health professionals, health care providers. We are talking about several states in our nation who will not allow an exception for rape or incest," she said.
"We are not asking anyone to compromise their beliefs or abandon their faith. We are simply saying the government should not be in the position, nor should the government have the power to replace its beliefs for those of the woman."
Afterwards, she engaged in a closed-door roundtable discussion with legislators and providers. Among those in the meeting was Sara Jann, director of policy and advocacy for the Maternity Care Coalition.
“I think what's really important to address right now is when we're thinking about the whole of perinatal health, maternal child health, any restriction to access is going to result in worse outcomes," she said.
U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon noted abortion is legal today in Pennsylvania, but she added it isn't a secure right.
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"The Republican candidate for governor [Doug Mastriano] is trying to ban abortion," she said. "In Congress, we have legislators who are trying to do a national ban on abortion."
"We have a Republican general assembly that is laser-focused on restricting access, and they're doing it by way of a constitutional amendment," said state Rep. Morgan Cephas, co-chair of the women’s health caucus. "So they're trying to get around the governor."
Abortion restrictions in a number of states and the Supreme Court's overturn of Roe v. Wade are having profound repercussions in reproductive medicine as well as in other areas of medical care.
"For physicians and patients alike, this is a frightening and fraught time, with new, unprecedented concerns about data privacy, access to contraception, and even when to begin lifesaving care," said Dr. Jack Resneck, president of the American Medical Association.
Even in medical emergencies, doctors are sometimes declining immediate treatment. In the past week, an Ohio abortion clinic received calls from two women with ectopic pregnancies — when an embryo grows outside the uterus and can’t be saved — who said their doctors wouldn’t treat them. Ectopic pregnancies often become life-threatening emergencies and abortion clinics aren’t set up to treat them.
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“My main concern is women of color because when you talk about some of these [maternal mortality] statistics, these are type of things that individuals that look like me aren't addressed," said state Rep. Darisha Parker, of the 198th Legislative District.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 700 women die each year from pregnancy complications. Black and Indigenous women are two to three times as likely to die from those complications as white women.
But state Sen. Katie Muth said she doesn't believe Republican lawmakers understand the health care implications of restrictions on reproductive care.
"I don't think they understand and I don't think they care," she expressed. "The real problem here is this is a control issue. It's a power issue. And this is a direct correlation to voting rights restrictions."
State Rep. Joanna McClinton, the Pa. House minority leader, elaborated on more of what the vice president shared with the group in private.
“She's met with almost 100 world leaders since she's been in office," shared McClinton, "and it is frankly embarrassing to see our United States rolling back rights that will literally cause women to die."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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