{"id":149012,"date":"2022-10-11T13:32:13","date_gmt":"2022-10-11T20:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=149012"},"modified":"2022-10-11T13:32:13","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T20:32:13","slug":"vice-president-harris-in-a-conversation-on-reproductive-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=149012","title":{"rendered":"Vice President Harris in a Conversation on Reproductive Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Austin, TX&#8230;Good afternoon, everyone.  Good afternoon.  (Applause.)  Good afternoon.  It is so good to be back at the LBJ, just the library and everything that it means and, of course, the university.  But I\u2019m just so thrilled to be with all of you and to be back here.  I visited here years ago.  And it represents so much about the history of our country in terms of, when we \u2014 when we believe in what is possible and are committed to it, we can actually achieve it.  So I\u2019m very inspired to be here with all of you.  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PJby8iUrAuQ\" title=\"Vice President Harris Joins a Moderated Conversation on Reproductive Rights\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>MS. TIMMARAJU:  Thank you, Vice President.  It\u2019s awesome to welcome you back to our home \u2014 my home state of Texas.  I\u2019m going to start with an opening question.  And I\u2019ve heard you talk about this a lot, but I think these folks would love to hear you talk about this. <\/p>\n<p>This is such an important moment \u2014 a historic moment, truly \u2014 in the fight for our rights.  Why did you decide to champion this issue at this moment in time in the role that you are in?<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, I was kind of born into the issue in that I \u2014 my sister and I were raised by a mother who had two goals in her life: to raise her two daughters and end breast cancer.  My mother was a breast cancer researcher, and she was actually one of the very few scientists who was a woman and a person of color.  And she was passionate about her two interests \u2014 (laughs) \u2014 us and that. <\/p>\n<p>And I have vivid memories as a child of my mother coming home and being, frankly, outraged from time to time about the disparities in the system, about the need for women to have access to the care they need.  And what would upset her most in a way that I was aware of it was the need that she believed for us to give women dignity in the healthcare system, in particular as it relates to their reproductive health. <\/p>\n<p>You know, my \u2014 I grew up with the word \u201cmammary glands\u201d all the time.  (Laughs.)  So these things were \u2014 were just a part of \u2014 from my childhood.  And I have spent my career \u2014 as you know, that has been one of my major areas of focus throughout my career, starting with \u2014 as a prosecutor, which is to focus on the health, the safety, and the wellbeing of women and children.<\/p>\n<p>MS. GARIBAY:  Thank you.  In Texas and across the country, anti-choice extremists are continuing to attack abortion rights and access.  Right now, 15 states and counting are enforcing extreme and total bans on abortion.  What steps are the Biden-Harris administration taking to protect women and folks who can get pregnant?<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  So let me say also, Mini and Julieta, it\u2019s so wonderful to be on this stage with you.  And thank you both for your leadership and your inspiration and your courage.<\/p>\n<p>So, level set, we all know we are at a moment where the highest court in our land, the United States Supreme Court, just took a constitutional right, that had been recognized, from the people of America \u2014 from the women of America.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019d like to just step back for a moment and then I\u2019ll be more direct in my answer.  But I\u2019d like to step back and \u2014 and share with you \u2014 and President Johnson\u2019s family is here: As Vice President, I have now, as of now, met with a hundred \u2013literally, a hundred world leaders by phone or in person \u2014 presidents, prime ministers, kings, chancellors. <\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s important to remember that when we, as representatives of the United States of America, walk into these rooms, we walk in with a certain status and stature, representing what we believe to be the greatest democracy in the world, imperfect though we may be.<\/p>\n<p>So, we walk in those rooms chin up, shoulders back, talking with others about the importance of the rule of law, human rights, civil rights. <\/p>\n<p>But, you see, there\u2019s something that comes with being a role model.  And there are a lot of role models here, so you know what I\u2019m talking about.  When you\u2019re a role model, people watch what you do to see if it matches up with what you say.  So we are now in a situation where people around the world \u2014 and my greatest fear, among them autocrats \u2014 will look at their population and say, \u201cYou want to talk about this being the standard?  This is where we should go?  Well, this is what the United States just did, that great democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So it has profound ramifications, what just happened, for the women and the people of America and for the women around the world.  And in that way, I think we all appreciate what our administration \u2014 the President and I and so many of us have \u2014 been doing to characterize this moment as truly a healthcare crisis with global \u2014 potentially global impact. <\/p>\n<p>And so, what we have been doing is a number of things.  The President has signed two executive orders, and we have taken a whole-of-government approach.  So that means that agencies that range from Health and Human Services, to the VA, to the Department of Defense, to the Department of Justice are all taking a role of leadership.<\/p>\n<p>We just convened, actually, the Cabinet for the second time this past week and talked about what each of the agencies are doing.  So, for example, Health and Human Services, they are making sure that pharmacies, for example, are aware of their legal obligations and responsibilities to \u2014 to allow prescriptions to be filled. <\/p>\n<p>Through the Department of Justice, there\u2019s some extraordinary work that\u2019s happening.  I\u2019ll mention a woman by the name of Vanita Gupta who is \u2014 many of you may know \u2014 was very active as a litigator in civil rights, who has been tasked with heading up the Department of Justice\u2019s work in this regard.  So that work is about collaborating where appropriate and \u2014 and possible with attorneys general from around the country \u2014 not this one in Texas.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>MS. TIMMARAJU:  Not yet.  Not yet.  (Applause.) <\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  (Laughs.)  No.  Not \u2014 not yet.  Not yet. <\/p>\n<p>On this issue around what should be done to remind the people of \u2014 of the states and of our country about their legal rights \u2014 for example, the right to travel, the right to association. <\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s been work that\u2019s being done to \u2014 actually, through the Department of Justice, they\u2019ve been doing some great work to \u2014 to gather pro-bono services so that healthcare providers, for example, can have legal assistance and advice when they need it. <\/p>\n<p>So the VA, extraordinary work.  We have 300,000 service members who are women.  And through the VA, there has been a \u2014 an edict that women will be given, when they request, access to reproductive care.  And \u2014 and so, there is work that\u2019s happening. <\/p>\n<p>But the challenge is that \u2014 that the issue has ultimately been, as the United States Supreme Court and its proponents \u2014 the Dobbs \u2014 the proponents of Dobbs have intended, it\u2019s been pushed to the states.  And this is not a political event, but there\u2019s an election in 31 days, and it will matter.  Because now it is \u2014 it\u2019s going to matter who your county prosecutor is if you live in a place where there\u2019s a state law that has criminalized doctors and nurses and healthcare providers.  It\u2019s going to matter who your attorney general is.  It\u2019s going to matter who your governor is. <\/p>\n<p>And \u2014 and so, this is where we are.  And this is part of why I\u2019ve been traveling around the country to convene and speak with state legislators and others, including the legislators here in Texas, about what we can do to protect the rights of all people.<\/p>\n<p>MS. TIMMARAJU:  Thank you so much, Vice President.  At NARAL and across the movement, we often talk about abortion access as a fundamental freedom central to Americans\u2019 lives.  How do you see the fight for reproductive freedom impacting the everyday life of Americans?<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  In a profound way.  And I appreciate what you, at NARAL, have been doing. <\/p>\n<p>Listen, on this issue, I say: Let\u2019s take the flag back.  This is about freedom and liberty.  At its core, this is about freedom and liberty, and on every level.  I mean, take, for example, what is happening in jurisdictions where there\u2019s no exception for rape or incest.  Like, let\u2019s understand what that means. <\/p>\n<p>I spent the majority of my career as a prosecutor focused on crimes and harm and violence against women and children.  I specialized in child sexual assault cases.  The idea that there would be a policy and an approach that would say to someone who has survived an extreme act of violence and violation \u2014 and to then say to her, \u201cAnd you do not have the autonomy, the authority, as it relates to your body that has just withstood that act, to make a decision about what happens to your body next\u201d \u2014 it\u2019s immoral.  It\u2019s truly immoral.  So \u2014 and it is about freedom and liberty. <\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s another piece.  We were talking earlier about this in terms of how we are also characterizing and how I think of it, which is this: One does not have to abandon their faith or their deeply held beliefs to agree that the government should not be making this decision for her.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s her decision to make and, if she chooses, with a loved one, with her priest or her pastor or her rabbi, with whomever she chooses.  But the government shouldn\u2019t be making this decision for her.  But it \u2014 it is, Mini \u2014 it is absolutely about freedom.  It is about liberty. <\/p>\n<p>And it is also \u2014 if we just think of this in the context of where we are right now \u2014 LBJ Library \u2014 right? \u2014 where the leadership of that President really was in every way about understanding the fundamental principle of justice and equality \u2014 and then putting this issue in that context, and putting it in the context of where we sit right now, which is to honor an individual and a time where we understood that the progress of our nation and the strength, therefore, of our nation was because we were dedicated to a trajectory that was about an expansion of rights, not restriction of rights. <\/p>\n<p>And that is what also is happening right now.  So, freedom and liberty.  Let\u2019s take the flag back.  Let\u2019s take it back. (Applause.)  Let\u2019s take it back.  (Laughs.)<\/p>\n<p>MS. GARIBAY:  Thank you.  Thank you.  And totally agree.  And across the country, people are being more \u2014 more motivated than ever to protect reproductive freedom \u2014 groups like Afiya Center, Latina Institute, Deeds Not Words, MOVE Texas \u2014 and we\u2019re seeing them take action, including (inaudible) and many others, by rejecting the anti-choice ballot measure in Kansas.<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Yes. <\/p>\n<p>MS. GARIBAY:  As you\u2019ve traveled across the country, what have you seen and heard from people as they\u2019ve watched anti-choice extremists put bans on abortion into place? <\/p>\n<p>And also, if we can talk a little bit about the intersections \u2014 right? \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Yes.  Yes.<\/p>\n<p>MS. GARIBAY:  \u2014 of voting rights, immigrant rights, trans rights, all \u2014 and attacks on abortion.<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  That\u2019s great, Julieta.  So to your point, I early on asked my team \u2014 well, let me just say: I love Venn diagrams.  (Laughs.)  I really love Venn diagrams.  You know, the circles, right?  Three usually.  (Laughs.) <\/p>\n<p>And I asked them, \u201cTell me, with a Venn diagram, from which states are we seeing attacks on reproductive healthcare, voting rights, and LGBTQ.\u201d  And you would not be surprised.  And sadly, this state featured prominently, among others. <\/p>\n<p>And so then, looking at that, one must also see, Ah, but this also tells us there is a great opportunity in this crisis to rededicate ourselves to coalition building, to bringing together the folks who have been fighting forever and are currently fighting for voting rights \u2014 all of the champions of marriage equality and what we must still do in terms of trans rights; what we must do to bring together the people who have been fighting for years on maternal health and reproductive healthcare, and bring everyone together and see this as a moment that should remind us, again, of the history of this building and that movement.  Because I think we\u2019ll remember, then, all of the best movements that were about progress in our country, one of the key ingredients was the coalition building that happened.  Right?  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>So, in that way, we \u2014 we \u2014 and so, Julieta, to your point, when I travel around the country, I mean, I am so in awe of those folks in Kansas who just organically said, \u201cUh-uh, we ain\u2019t having it.\u201d  Right?  (Applause.)  It was so \u2014 it was spectacular.  And they just \u2014 I\u2019ve \u2014 I\u2019ve watched their commercials.  I just go online and look at their commercials.  They\u2019re fantastic.  They\u2019re really quite direct and \u2014 and to the point.  \u201cGovernment mandate\u201d \u2014 to the point. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve been traveling around, you know, so-called red states and blue states.  And what we\u2019re seeing is that it \u2014 one, we know this is an issue that also is about an intergenerational movement \u2014 right? \u2014 among the many intersections and that folks are realizing the movement that started decades ago, that culminated in Roe v. Wade, we must now \u2014 us here, sitting in these chairs, must pick up that movement and carry it forward. <\/p>\n<p>And I think there\u2019s a real energy and enthusiasm to fight for the rights that are at stake right now.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>MS. TIMMARAJU:  So this last \u2014 this question \u2014 and then we\u2019re going to move to some audience-submitted questions \u2014 is very personal to both of us, but I know it\u2019s very personal to you. <\/p>\n<p>How does the central role that women of color have played in the history of fighting for abortion rights \u2014 and I\u2019ll add, all of our fundamental freedoms \u2014 in every movement, there have been unsung women heroes in every movement \u2014 affect your thinking on the present-day fight for reproductive freedom?<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, I \u2014 honestly, on that, I would say there\u2019s nothing new under the sun.  (Laughs.)  Women of color have been a part of every one of these movements, as have men of color, and been, you know, the \u2014 the coalition that has to be built and \u2014 and is being built.<\/p>\n<p>But women of color \u2014 I mean, I was reflecting and talking with my team, actually, about relatively recent history around even when President Clinton was attempting to pass healthcare reform.  And there was a group of, I think, a dozen Black women who formed, and I believe actually authored, the term \u201creproductive justice\u201d \u2014 understanding that there is so much about this issue, which is a healthcare issue, that then is about the issue with healthcare and the healthcare delivery system in our country, one of those issues being the inequities and the need, therefore, to identify, articulate, and address those inequities based on race, based on income, based on location, including rural folks who are living in rural America, our Native women. <\/p>\n<p>And so, I think that this is \u2014 there\u2019s nothing new about this in that those leaders have always been there.  They\u2019ve \u2014 what also is true is that they\u2019ve not always been acknowledged, but they\u2019ve always been there \u2014 because they see and know what\u2019s happening in their own communities and they are leaders in their communities, and often are the conscience for others on why we must act.<\/p>\n<p>MS. TIMMARAJU:  I think the good news is we\u2019re now seeing many more leaders of color in these movements.  So, thanks to \u2014 and we\u2019re seeing you, and that\u2019s really, really important. <\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>MS. TIMMARAJU:  It is. <\/p>\n<p>Okay, now is the fun part.  I have questions \u2014 we have questions submitted by the audience. <\/p>\n<p>So the first one is by Kiaya Jordan, who I met earlier, a Houston \u2014 (applause) \u2014 hello, my friend \u2014 a Houston-Tillotson University student and a Planned Parenthood advocate on her campus and her community. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTexas has some of the worst maternal mortality rates in the country.  And in Texas, Black women are three times more likely to die than white women due to causes related to pregnancy and birth.  And it\u2019s not just maternal mortality where Texas is failing Black and brown communities.  Hispanic women in Texas have among the highest rates of cervical cancer incidence and mortality in the country. <\/p>\n<p>Texas is failing our communities of color.  What can the administration do to support the Black and brown women of Texas to ensure we are able to live happy and productive lives without fear of dying from childbirth or preventable cancer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Great question.  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Kiaya.  That is a great question.  (Applause.)  That\u2019s a great question.  I actually worked on this issue in terms of trying to get legislation, which we did get some legislation passed, when I was in the Senate.  And I\u2019m proud to say we were able to get then, when we were elected and when we went to the White House, to elevate this issue to the stage of the White House, which is the issue of maternal health.  Because to the point of your question, across America and in Texas, Black women are three times more likely to die, Native women twice as likely, rural women one and a half times more likely to die in connection with childbirth. <\/p>\n<p>I have someone close to me who \u2014 whose sister-in-law, just a couple of weeks ago, died in childbirth.  This is 2022 in America.  And when you look at the issue, there are a number of factors.  So, when we talk, for example, and study Black maternal mortality, you will find \u2014 and with \u2014 and with Latinas and \u2014 and people \u2014 women of color \u2014 you will find that, esp- \u2014 in particular, when we study \u2014 because the numbers are just the highest with Black woman \u2014 that she will have that experience regardless of her education level or her socioeconomic level. <\/p>\n<p>It is literally that when she walks into that doctor\u2019s office, that hospital, or the clinic, she is a Black woman that\u2019s just not taken seriously \u2014 not as seriously. <\/p>\n<p>So that then leads to an obvious point: Let\u2019s address racial bias in the healthcare delivery system.  So the bill that I had was to require and then fund training for healthcare providers of every level and every nature \u2014 so doctors, nurses.  I wrote into the legislation that part of the trainers would be doulas \u2014 (applause) \u2014 yes \u2014 who are some of the most knowledgeable and effective in helping women get through their pregnancy and afterward.<\/p>\n<p>We are, as an \u2014 as an administration, also now pushing for states to expand Medicaid coverage postpartum from what it has been, which is 2 months after she just gave birth to a human being to 12 months \u2014 right? \u2014 (applause) \u2014 understanding that that coverage includes what she may need for all of her postpartum needs, including physical checkups, pelvic exams, things of that nature, not to mention whatever else she may need.<\/p>\n<p>And there is more work to be done.  Because, also, when you study the issue, you then also realize that it is no coincidence to see the disparities in terms of who is affected and to understand also the stressors that uniquely affect those populations.  What am I talking about?  Well, poverty is trauma-inducing.  Right?  So you think about it in terms of what that means for the life experience, not to mention access to appropriate healthcare, access to transportation, access to \u2014 are they living in food deserts.<\/p>\n<p>Women living in rural America \u2014 we have so many different healthcare deserts.  Right?  And so the approach also \u2014 and it has been part of our approach, which is a comprehensive one \u2014 as an administration is to look at all of these issues, including what we\u2019ve done recently, which is to encourage a designation for hospitals \u2014 \u201cbirthing friendly\u201d \u2014 so that we will then start to do the analysis of what are the experiences of families who are going through those particular and specific healthcare systems in terms of how they experience the process and the response to their needs. <\/p>\n<p>So, I really appreciate you asking that question.  But there\u2019s a lot more work to do, and I need your help.  Okay.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>MS. GARIBAY:  Thank you.  I would say puras truths, a lot of facts.<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Yes, thank you.  (Laughs.)<\/p>\n<p>MS. GARIBAY:  All facts.  In June 24, millions of people lost fundamental rights thanks to the actions of elected officials they never had to vote on.  If you were a college student in 2022 watching anti-choice extremists strip away our hard right \u2014 hard-won right, how would you channel the anger into action and change?<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  There\u2019s a lot there.  So I\u2019ll \u2014 let me just, if I may, add a couple of things in terms of just as a personal point. <\/p>\n<p>I have a 17-year-old goddaughter, who I\u2019m helping with her college applications.  And \u2014 (laughter) \u2014<\/p>\n<p>MS. GARIBAY:  That\u2019s pretty cool.<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  (Laughs.)  But actually, the next point I\u2019m going to make, you guys will also get.  And she said to me when the Dobbs decision came down, \u201cAuntie, me and all my friends, whatever gender, are now looking at what is the law in the state of the school that we want to go to.\u201d  That\u2019s real.  That\u2019s real. <\/p>\n<p>We have a 23-year-old daughter, and I have an 81-year-old mother-in-law.  Our daughter is going to have fewer rights than my mother-in-law. <\/p>\n<p>So when we\u2019re talking about young leaders, I mean, the \u2014 the way this is impacting college-age leaders \u2014 and I think of them as leaders \u2014 is profound in terms of the myriad of what this means \u2014 the facets of what this means for them. <\/p>\n<p>And then I think of it in the context of how I was raised.  I was raised by parents who were students at UC Berkeley in the \u201860s.  (Laughter.)  Yeah.  So you get it.  They were active in the Civil Rights Movement.  I joke, but it\u2019s true.  I grew up surrounded by people who spent full-time marching and shouting for justice. <\/p>\n<p>And I do believe that our best movements have had, as their leaders, students and people in that \u2014 in that stage of life \u2014 (applause) \u2014 be them in universities and colleges or doing something else. <\/p>\n<p>And so I think about it in the context \u2014 and, in fact, we have purposely have been trying to visit, in these \u2014 these \u2014 in the travels, universities and young leaders to encourage them to do what they\u2019re already doing, which is organize on campus; which is use social media in a way you know best, which is \u2014 it can be an incredibly powerful tool for organizing; to keep it up because we need you.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019ll \u2014 I\u2019ll mention a very specific point that concerns me on this issue that I do believe our younger leaders can really be most influential on.  I don\u2019t have the map here.  I don\u2019t know where my staff is.  But \u2014 so the other thing I asked my team to do was to show me a map of the United States and then color-code the states based on the state of the law in those states: complete abortion ban, 6-week, 12-week, 22 \u2014 right? \u2014 with exceptions, rape and incest.  Not with \u2014 you would not be surprised to know that if you look at this map, it is \u2014 it\u2019s like a quilt, the \u2014 all the different colors. <\/p>\n<p>What does that mean?  People are confused.  And when we see that, we know that is a situation that is ripe for misinformation and disinformation and predators.<\/p>\n<p>So back to our young leaders, who are the most talented in moving information effectively and quickly to get to their peers, I am also eliciting \u2014 I am begging our young leaders to please use that talent and skill in a way that a lot of the folks who have been in this movement for a long time aren\u2019t necessarily the best at \u2014 (laughs) \u2014 to help get out the facts, and to help people know their rights, and to clear up the confusion, and most of all, to remind people they\u2019re not alone. <\/p>\n<p>Because there\u2019s an additional point on this issue that must be, I think, acknowledged, which is the fact that, over the course of history, women have been punished for their sexuality.  And with this issue, then, comes a profound amount of judgment, more so than we\u2019ve seen in a long time. <\/p>\n<p>So, then, among the issues is not only freedom, liberty, access to healthcare, but judgment and what that does to make that individual feel alone and to predictably result in silent suffering.<\/p>\n<p>And so, again, that\u2019s where our college-age \u2014 whether they are in college or not \u2014 leaders can really be most effective to create community where their peers are to remind them they are not alone, that they are not being judged, and to remind them of their rights.<\/p>\n<p>MS. TIMMARAJU:  I\u2019ll add that our young leaders have already been at the forefront of our movement destigmatizing abortion.  So all credit to those young leaders who have educated so many of us \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.<\/p>\n<p>MS. TIMMARAJU:  \u2014 and just change the conversation.  And couldn\u2019t be more timely for that to happen.<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Right.   Right.<\/p>\n<p>MS. TIMMARAJU:  One last question from Malissa Ybarra from \u2014 who is the health center manager for Planned Parenthood here in Austin.  So I want to thank her \u2014 (applause) \u2014 for being on the frontline of this fight and taking care of our patients so \u2014 so wonderfully, with such compassion.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s her question: \u201cA lot of people are feeling disheartened after the fall of Roe and other recent attacks on reproductive freedom, such as congressional Republicans\u2019 push for a nationwide ban on abortion and state-level bans and attacks on reproductive healthcare providers, including their ability to participate in federal programs.  What keeps you feeling optimistic and hopeful about the future of abortion access in this country?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  You and you and all of you.  I \u2014 again, and the \u2014 when we contextualize this issue, we can contextualize this issue also in the context of democracies.  And I do believe that a democracy will be as strong as our willingness to fight for it. <\/p>\n<p>MS. TIMMARAJU:  Yeah.<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Right?  (Applause.)  And so the future of this issue will be a function of our willingness to fight for this, understanding that, again, it is about freedom, it is about liberty, it is about justice.  And \u2014 and I\u2019m going to come back to the point that although this is not a political event, 31 days matters.  Because here, I\u2019m just going to say the fact.  It\u2019s not political.  It\u2019s not an \u2014 it\u2019s not an advertisement, it\u2019s just a fact. <\/p>\n<p>So there\u2019s this thing in the United States Senate called filibuster.  (Laughter.) <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a library.  We talk about things like facts here.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>And it has been used over the years in a way that I think many of us would agree has been used to obstruct progress. <\/p>\n<p>So, another fact: President Biden has said he will not let the filibuster get in the way of signing the Women\u2019s Reproductive Health Act.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>MS. TIMMARAJU:  Thank you. <\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  An additional fact is that we just need to hold on to the Senate and we need two more.  (Applause.)  Just facts.  Just facts.  That\u2019s it.<\/p>\n<p>MS. TIMMARAJU:  All right.  Well, this has been an incredible conversation.  It\u2019s just an honor to be here with you today.  I want to thank Julieta for being my partner in this effort, in this event \u2014 (applause) \u2014 and for all your work for so many of our communities in this country. <\/p>\n<p>And, Vice President Harris, just want to thank you for all the incredible work the administration is doing, for having these candid conversations across the country.  And we look forward to seeing you out there a few more. <\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.) <\/p>\n<p>MS. TIMMARAJU:  Thank you for coming.<\/p>\n<p>THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you all.<\/p>\n<p>END                 4:39 P.M. CDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Austin, TX&#8230;Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon. (Applause.) Good afternoon. It is so good to be back at the LBJ, just the library and everything that it means and, of course, the university. But I\u2019m just so thrilled to be with all of you and to be back here. I visited here years ago. 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