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Michelle Obama is pleading with the American men to consider the women in their lives when they vote in this election, delivering a strong message that a vote for Donald Trump will lead to less reproductive freedom than ever before.
The former first lady gave an impassioned campaign speech in support of Kamala Harris during a rally at the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Saturday. Obama did not hold anything back as she told the crowd that she was a “little angry” that there are those who are hesitant to vote for Harris and instead seem to “ignore” Trump’s “gross incompetence.”
“I hope that you will forgive me if I’m a little angry that we are indifferent to [Trump’s] erratic behavior, his obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known slum lord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse — all of this while we pick apart Kamala’s answers from interviews that he doesn’t even have the courage to do, y’all,” Obama said.
She then directed her attention specifically to the men as she spoke about reproductive rights being stripped away state-by-state since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Michigan, which does not have any strict ban on abortion, is an important swing state that is closely divided in the polls. Harris is currently polling at 49% in the state, compared to Trump’s 46%.
“To the men who love us, let me just try to paint a picture of what it will feel like if America, the wealthiest nation on Earth, keeps revoking basic care from its women,” Obama said. “Your girlfriend could be the one in legal jeopardy if she needs a pill from out of state or overseas. Or if she has to travel across state lines because a local clinic closed up.”
She continued: “Your wife, or mother, could be the ones at higher risk of dying from undiagnosed cervical cancer because they have no access to regular gynecological care. Your daughter could be the one too terrified to call the doctor if she’s bleeding during an unexpected pregnancy.”
Obama also mentioned a dangerous scenario caused by strict abortion bans that already had deadly consequences for one woman named Amber Thurman, who died in Atlanta, Georgia from preventable complications after she took the abortion pill. Thurman went to the Piedmont Henry Hospital for a routine procedure to clear out her uterus, but doctors could not treat her in time due to the state’s strict anti-abortion laws.
“If your wife is shivering and bleeding on the operating room table during a routine delivery gone bad, her pressure dropping as she loses more and more blood, or some unforeseen infection spreads and her doctors aren’t sure if they can act, you will be the one praying that it’s not too late,” Obama continued. “You will be the one pleading for somebody, anybody, to do something.”
Obama reiterated that not just women will be affected by nationwide reproductive restrictions, but loved ones and more specifically, the men around them. “There is the tragic but very real possibility that in the worst-case scenario, you just might be the one holding flowers at the funeral. You might be the one left to raise your children alone.”
“I am asking y’all from the core of my being to take our lives seriously, please. Do not put our lives in the hands of politicians. Mostly men, who have no clue or do not care about what we as women are going through.”
The Harris campaign has largely focused on reproductive rights over the last several months, including at a Houston rally on Friday night with a public endorsement and speech from Beyoncé. While Texas is likely to turn red this election, as it has for decades, the state has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. Harris used the near-total ban as an example of what could happen nationwide if Trump were to be elected president.
“And though we are in Texas tonight, for anyone watching from another state, if you think you are protected from Trump abortion bans because you live in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, California, or any state where voters or legislators have protected reproductive freedom, please know: No one is protected,” Harris said.
Watch Michelle Obama’s full speech here:
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
News and Politics: Mid Hero
