Dear Her Campus Readers,
Like so many women across our country, I remember exactly where I was when I learned that Donald Trump’s hand-picked Supreme Court justices had overturned Roe v. Wade, taking a constitutional right away from the women of America. My thoughts immediately went to the young women and girls across America, including in my own family, who now have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers did. I kept returning to three words: How dare they? How dare those justices, and Donald Trump, take a fundamental freedom away from the American people?
And now, just as we predicted, over 20 states have Trump abortion bans in place. That includes states that have passed bans that criminalize doctors and make no exception for rape or incest. Over 1 in 3 women throughout America live under a Trump abortion ban. I have traveled the country, meeting with young leaders, health care providers, advocates, women, and families directly impacted by these extreme bans. And from Georgia to Arizona, North Carolina to Wisconsin, young people are bravely raising their voices about this attack on their health care, their future, and their freedom. They are leading the fight for progress, not only for themselves but for their classmates, their peers, and their generation.
Young people have always been at the forefront of change. In 2020, young voters elected me the first woman Vice President in the history of our country. In 2022, young voters turned out in historic numbers to protect abortion rights in states from Michigan to Kentucky. And this November, it will be young people again who lead the fight to restore reproductive freedom across our nation.
As you know, this election is the most consequential of our lifetimes. Freedom is on the ballot. And the contrast could not be more clear. If Donald Trump is elected, he could ban abortion nationwide — even in states that currently protect reproductive rights. When I am elected, I will proudly sign a bill into law that restores reproductive freedom.
Her Campus’s Our Bodies, Our Votes is an exciting initiative that will connect you with new data about the threats to reproductive rights across the country, the work underway to win this election, and the powerful stories of courageous young women around the country who are bravely speaking out about the stakes and fighting back. Women like Hadley Duvall, Taylor Shelton, and Rachel Knoebl. They remind us that your vote is your voice and your voice is your power. And you must never let anyone take your power away.
Thank you for all that you do to make a difference in your community — and for our country. Now is the moment for us to come together and fight for our futures and our freedoms — including the freedom to make your own decisions about your own body. And I am honored to be in this fight alongside you.
Sincerely,
Vice President Kamala Harris
