Michelle Obama hits back at abortion bans: Women are more than ‘baby-making vessels’
Former first lady Michelle Obama strongly criticized recent abortion bans, asserting that women shouldn't be reduced to mere child-bearers. Speaking at a rally in Michigan, Obama warned that women could become “collateral damage” if state laws continue to set limits on abortion.
Addressing a passionate crowd in Kalamazoo, Obama called on men to support women’s rights and consider the impact of their political choices.
“If we don’t get this election right, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women will become collateral damage to your rage,” she said. “So are you, as men, prepared to look into the eyes of the women and children you love and tell them you supported this assault on our safety?”
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Obama’s speech marked her first appearance on the campaign trail since the Democratic National Convention. She expressed deep concern over the state of the nation and the close presidential race. “I lay awake at night wondering, ‘What in the world is going on?’” she continued.
The former first lady urged support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid to become America’s first female president.
“By every measure, she has demonstrated that she’s ready,” Obama stated. “The real question is, as a country, are we ready for this moment?” She asked voters not to “buy into the lies that we do not know who Kamala is or what she stands for,” adding, “This is somebody who understands you, all of you.”
She also spoke about menstrual cycles, menopause and the dangers of childbirth. “I am asking y’all, from the core of my being, to take our lives seriously,” Obama said.
Michelle Obama's speech comes weeks after former President Barack Obama sharply criticized Donald Trump’s promotion of a personalized “God Bless the USA” Bible, remarking that the former president and Republican presidential nominee “got his name right there next to Matthew and Luke” during a speech in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, pro-life and faith-based advocacy groups have criticized Harris for suggesting she wouldn’t support religious exemptions to a nationwide abortion mandate.
In an interview with NBC’s Hallie Jackson, when asked about considering “religious exemptions,” Harris responded, “I don’t think we should be making concessions.”
The pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America cited Harris’ comment as evidence that she would “federally steamroll Americans into taking part in abortions against their will.” The group warned that in Harris’ America, “Docs must perform them, taxpayers must pay for them, for any reason, in all 50 states, no exceptions.”
The advocacy group CatholicVote posted a clip of the interview, stating, “Kamala Harris admits she would deny religious exemptions — forcing Christians to kill unborn children and seemingly doubling down on weaponizing the government to jail pro-lifers for praying outside abortion facilities.” The organization questioned, “Why would any Christian vote for her?”
Ralph Reed, president of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, reacted by saying, “She’s not only pro-abortion, she is anti-religious freedom.”
The Catholic Association also criticized Harris’ position, calling it “unsurprising given her radicalism on abortion and bigotry towards people of faith.”
Harris has made the passage of a bill in Congress to “restore reproductive freedom nationwide” a centerpiece of her campaign.
The proposed Women’s Health Protection Act aims to overrule most state laws regulating abortion, though it specifies it would not apply to “insurance or medical assistance coverage of abortion services.”
Concerns also remain that Democrats might work to repeal the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions, if they gain control of Congress and the White House.
Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, several states have enacted near-total bans on abortion or laws placing gestational limits on abortion.
