asylum system, with the biden administration. we will discuss campus protests, the israel-gaza conflict, congressional news of the day. the florida republican congressman carlos gimenez. and the democratic congressman. c-span's washington journal, joining the conversation live at seven :00 eastern thursday morning on c-span, c-span now our free mobile app, or online at c-span.org. >> vice president, kamala harris sat down with actress and singer sheryl lee ralph to discuss with the biden administration is doing for women's health care. the vice preside also urged voters to get involved and vote for all levels of office in the 2024 election. this is about 40 minutes.

talk with one of the most capable, influential, bold and fearless thinkers ever. [applause] ms. ralph: this human right here is an out to connect some of us, she is here to connect all of us. [applause] and this human being just happens to be a woman! [applause] v.p. harris: oh my goodness.

ms. ralph: madam vice president, kamala harris. what a wonderful journey we have had together because i will never forget south carolina. but when we think about south carolina to this moment, tell me how do you see and feel about this moment, this reelection moment? v.p. harris: thank you. thank you so very much. you are such an extraordinary -- we have known each other a long amount of time. you are an extraordinary artist in just a phenomenal leader, and you are a girls girl, and we love a girl's girl. ms. ralph: thank you. thank you. thank you. v.p. harris: if i may, i would like to just start by acknowledging karen, who you just heard from. you know, in these last two years, i have met some

phenomenal women. and you just witnessed one of those women, karen, who, born out of such personal tragedy, decided that they would take a stage in front of a national audience to share something so personal and so hurtful in terms of the experience and what it meant. and doing it so selflessly so that the world can understand what this really means for so many women who are not in this room, and so many women who have been made to feel alone, and been made to feel as though they should be quiet and not share or talk about their fears and their experiences. so, can we please applaud karen for her courage. her courage. [applause] i said to her, which she is

doing by speaking about her experience is going to impact women she may never meet. women who may never know her name, but because of her ability, and your ability, everyone here, to understand what's at stake and then to be here and to be engaged. it will make a difference for a lot of people. i want to thank everyone for being here, starting with karen. [applause] v.p. harris: yes -- ms. ralph: yes, thank you. v.p. harris: this moment. this is the moment we are in. we witnessed, about two years ago, the highest court in our land, the court of thurgood and rbg take a constitutional right that had been recognized, had been recognized from the people of america, from the women of america. and they are after, we have witnessed in state after state, laws being proposed and passed

that criminalize health care providers. a state in particular that i have in mind, texas. would provide prison for life or health care provider, a doctor, a nurse just doing their job. states that make no exception, even for rape and incest. many of you know i started my career as a prosecutor. but you may not know why. when i was in high school i learned that one of my best friends was being molested by her stepfather. and when i learned that, i said to her, you have to come and stay with us. i called my mother and my mother said, of course she has to come stay with us, and she did. at a young age i decided i wanted to take on harms against women and children. for the majority of my career as a prosecutor i specialized in

those kinds of cases. so the idea that these so-called leaders would say to a survivor of a crime of violence to their body, a violation to their body that you, the survivor, don't have a right to make a decision about what happens to your body next. that's immoral. these are the kinds of things that are happening in our country. i think about it in the context of our daughter, who is 24. and as of today, has fewer rights than my mother-in-law. i think of it in the context of the idea that we are a nation that was founded on certain fundamental principles, including that, which is, we believe in freedom, the freedom of individuals to make decisions

, in particular about what i call heart and home. and i think we all agree, one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do with her body. [applause] if she chooses, she will talk with her priest or her pastor. she will talk with her rabbi or her imam on, but not the government. my goodness, i'm going to tell you, these states, some of them, i was just recently in florida, six week band. which makes very clear that these very important, so-called leaders, are not very clear about how a woman's body works. [applause] because boat -- most women don't even know they are pregnant at

six weeks. so either they don't know or they don't care. this is what's happening in our company -- in our country, in this year, 2024. so we have to, all of us, and i'm preaching to the choir with this group that is here, we have to be active. we have to be stand up for the fundamental points that are about freedom. and also, hopefully that we all, as americans, have a sense of empathy and concern about the suffering of other people. ms. ralph: why is it important to you? v.p. harris: listen, first of all i am a daughter of a mother who had two goals in her life. my mother, her two goals were to raise her two daughters and to end breast cancer. my mother was a breast cancer researcher and she was one of the very few women and women of color. in my mother, since the earliest

days of my memory, vote for the dignity of women in the health care system. and, with the knowledge that we still have work to do about how women are treated in the health care system. and we still have work to do for people to recognize, in particular, the importance of women having dignity and access to reproductive health care in every way. ms. ralph: in every way. v.p. harris: in every way. i did not realize it, but i have the distinction of being the first president or vice president to ever visit a reproductive health clinic. [applause] and to your point about in every way, since these laws have been passed, reproductive health clinics around our country have

been closing. and went many of us probably know is that those clinics are the same ones that provide breast cancer screenings. contraceptive care. pap smears. i am so fed up with this sometimes because i'm on the road full time talking about this and other issues. when i went to that reproductive clinic it was a long day in the press was there and i said, let me tell you, you guys are going to have to be ready for this, ready for certain language. and i said very loudly, ovaries. in fallopian tubes. ms. ralph: uterus. v.p. harris: fibroids. it was the funniest thing for me. the women reporters started laughing. all the men reporters looked down. ms. ralph: but we've got to have these conversations out loud.

being a woman is not something to be ashamed of. listen, if a man can get viagra, i need health care two. [applause] and when we talk about reproductive clinics, understand that, and it's another one of these words people don't want to say out loud, abortion is the very least that they do. the very least. if you were to take planned parenthood away from some communities, there would be no place for the women or the men to go for health care. people need to understand this. [applause] v.p. harris: that's right. ms. ralph: and just understand that they don't go to these clinics just because they have been a bad girl.

or a naughty lady. you go to clinics like this because you need health care. [applause] v.p. harris: that's right. i will say you touched on something that i think is very important to acknowledge, as you've done. there is also something that has happened and been happening in this environment, which is to judge women. to judge women as though they have done something wrong. as though they should be embarrassed. which, of course, has the effect, and sometimes i think the intended effect of disempowering women. ms. ralph: yes. v.p. harris: that's why it is also so important that everyone, regardless of your gender, that we show up and use every method that we have. whether it's our friends network or our social media to say, no,

these women are not alone, we stand with them and we trust women. that undercurrents a lot of this. we have to call it for what it is. do you not trust women? to know what is in their own best interest. use some legislator in some state capital, the majority of whom are not women are in a better position to tell her what she should do? but see, we are going to vote and we are going to show them that we see what's happening and we are not going to sit silent and we are not going to let it happen. and on the issue of voting, be clear that from the midterms after the dobbs decision came down and undid the decisions of

ro, the elections at the end of last year, kansas to california, from ohio to montana, a so-called red and blue state, when this issue was on the ballot, the american people voted for freedom. [applause] voted for freedom. ms. ralph: and when we talk about freedom, why is it that we are still having to have a conversation over and over and over again about how important it is to trust women. why do we have to keep talking about the choices that women must make for themselves? and why are we having to talk to so many women to let them know how important they are in this

reelection on this subject and how important it is to vote for your own best interest. [applause] v.p. harris: yeah. yeah. so, here's what i would say. i often paraphrase a lovely, important thing from coretta scott king. and she famously said the fight for civil rights, and you can insert their the fight for equality and freedom, must be fought and won with each generation. and when she said that i think she had two points in mind. one is that it is the nature of these fights that whatever we gain it not be permanent. it's the nature of it. therefore, second point, we must be vigilant and not be

overwhelmed when these moments happen, because the nature of it, the very nature of it is we must be vigilant to hold onto these rights. i think of this when we talk about this fight for our freedoms, freedom to make decisions about your own body, the freedom to have access to the ballot, the freedom to be free from the fear of gun violence. the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. freedom for us as americans is very much about one of the essential and important pillars of a democracy. and you know as vice president, i have now met with over 150 world leaders. presidents, prime ministers, chancellors, and kings. and when i travel around the world or they visit with us here , one thing has become very clear to me. when we as americans walk into those rooms, we walk in those

rooms with our chin up and our shoulders back with the self and earned authority to talk about the importance of democracy. one of my fears is that in some country where some women are fighting for the right to have an education that some autocrat is looking at them and saying, will you look at what the united states is doing right now to women, you be quiet. there's a lot about what we are fighting for right now as americans that is about all that we are discussing and will have an impact on people around the world. and let that be a reminder of many things, but most importantly, our power with our voice to have impact. ms. ralph: yes. bravo. [applause] i stood backstage and i was

listening to karen tell her story and i thought about my own story. and you don't know this, i have two children, a son and a daughter. and when my son was born it almost did not happen. i had lost my amniotic fluid and most of us know it here, that's the fluid that surrounds the baby in the womb. i had lost it all and i was about ready to have what they call a dry birth. which is complicated. my god, i have not thought about this, which is complicated, and the survival of the child is, wow. i was in a moment where i was so close to birth and death at the same time. in this doctor says to me, you have one chance right now for a

viable delivery. i'm listing to this as i'm trying to deliver my child. my child was not viable and in that moment -- you know what it looks like. in that moment, if that doctor were to deliver and excavate the child from my womb, they would've gone to prison. these are the kinds of things we have got to think about. that happened to me. but that was 30 years ago. i had more rights 30 years ago. [applause] when we talk about health justice and i just want to ask you your thoughts, we look at

what's happening with black women and black women infertility you know. the numbers are going so sky high, not only is the mother dying, the baby is dying at three times the national rate. how did we get here? v.p. harris: let's talk about that. this is an issue i have been working on a long time, since i was in the senate, and vice president. we have a very sad distinction is united states is having one of the highest rates of maternal mortality of any so-called developed or wealthy country in the world. how could this be? for black women, three times more likely to die in connection to childbirth. native women, twice as likely, for rural women, twice the time more likely.

let's layer this with also what's happening in terms of abortion bands. in the states with the 10 top rates of maternal mortality, they all have abortion bands. let's add the point about race and black women, that includes the majority of black women in america live in the south. every southern state except virginia has an abortion ban. let me add some more information. when i became vice president i was look into what are we doing because this is a related issue around resources for postpartum care. and i looked at the numbers and only three states in our country that extended for women on medicaid, postpartum care from two months to 12 months, only three things. so not being above shaming people, i decided to call out all the other states and say, you need to extend postpartum coverage to 12 months.

as of today, 46 states have done it. [applause] ms. ralph: yes. v.p. harris: but again, this is where we cannot be overwhelmed or despondent, we have to just say, ok, this is what it is and we are going to continue to fight. how is it that when we came in office in 2021, only three states were doing that. coverage for postpartum care for only two months? understanding what is needed in terms of medical care, whatever is needed in terms of emotional support, mental health support. there is still a lot of work to be done. and i think that -- if you think about movements as being relay races, there are the men and women who fought this fight to get roe v. wade decided, and then for a century we had it.

i think that those great leaders have now passed the baton to each of us. and the question is, what are we going to do in our time in the race when we carry the baton? everyone here has decided to answer that question, which is to say we are going to fight. we are going to fight. [applause] ms. ralph: and when you say we are going to fight you mean that. v.p. harris: oh i do. oh yes. ms. ralph: because we all know there is an enemy of roe v. wade at the door. v.p. harris: let's just get right into that, shall we. i see charisse is here who runs for the democratic party and the state. listen, if you want to know who is to blame for where we are right now, a finger can be

directly pointed at the former president. the former president made it very clear, and then did what he intended to do, he would pick three members of the united states supreme court with the intentions that they would undo the protections of ro, and they did exactly as he intended and then we see the laws being passed. most recently, you've heard him say and talk about the fact that he is proud, proud i ask, that doctors and nurses can be jailed? prout? -- proud that our daughter have fewer rights in our mothers? proud that people are suffering? a woman i met who i think i'm going to be with tonight at an event later who, suffering a miscarriage, went to an emergency room to receive care, was denied because the health professionals there were afraid

they could be jailed for helping her. she went back again denied. not until she developed sepsis was she treated. so, understand, again, the significance of elections. they matter. elections matter. [applause] and by the way, it is not only who sits in the white house, it is who is your united states senator. check out what his opponent says about these issues. if you need any guidance on what the difference is going to be. look at what happens in terms of josh shapiro being governor and being able to ensure that this state would maintain its protections. the state legislator, i believe hangs in the balance of one vote. and what that means, elections

matter and we want to remind people of their power to make determinations about the direction of where you live in terms of your neighborhood, your state in your country. on this in so many other issues. so and our young people, let's remind our young leaders. i started last fall a college tour, and i visited, it was really for college aged young people. it was colleges and universities, community colleges and trade schools. and i have to tell you, i love gen z. i know for some of us who have gen z in our life may be complicated. let me tell you, i love gen z. this is a population of young people who have the distinction of so many issues that are on the ballot that it's a lived experience for them.

the climate crisis, they've only know the climate crisis. they've coined the term climate anxiety. i was just talking with our daughter yesterday about this. climate anxiety. they are afraid to have children or that they should aspire to buy a home for fear of extreme weather taking it out. they lost substantial spacious of their education and socialization during the pandemic. i would ask everywhere i go and it was a packed room every time and i would ask these young people, raise your hand if at any point between kindergarten and 12th grade you have had to endure an active shooter drill. it's bone chilling, almost every hand went up. think about our babies. there was a younger student who, once when i was having this conversation said to me, on this subject, that's why i don't like going to for the. . i said why, sweetheart, why don't you like going to fit. ?

because in fifth. , there is no closet. it was to hide. during the height of their reproductive years the court took this. this generation of young leaders, when they start voting in their numbers, i predict a seachange, because this is not theoretical, this is not ideological, it's lived experience for them. and what i love about the most is they are not sitting around waiting for us to figure it out. right, and i love that. i love that. [applause] love that, so we just have to encourage them. we have to encourage them. ms. ralph: absolutely. so much encouragement. v.p. harris: yes. yes. yes. that's what we parents do. ms. ralph: speaking about parents, we have so many women here today. mothers, give yourself a nice

round of applause. v.p. harris: and the aunts and the sisters on the grandmothers in everyone. ms. ralph: tell them about what you and the administration have done for them. what have you done for me lately? [laughter] v.p. harris: here's the thing i would say, every issue is a woman's issue. and that would include the topic of today, this issue of reproductive freedom. my husband and i were just talking about this last night, this is an issue which anyone, regardless of their gender, your government is taking freedoms from people. how does that make you feel? this is the foundational and fundamental point. we have been doing a lot of work on maternal mortality. the work that we have done on

gun violence, mothers and fathers know this experience of saying a silent prayer when you drop your kid off at the school bus or drop them off at school. please, god, let my child come home tonight. we have passed the first significant piece of gun safety legislation in 30 years. their work we have done on prescription medication. [applause] so many of our seniors have had to make awful decisions for diabetes about whether they could afford their insulin with the cost of insulin at $35 a month. it's a very big deal. we took on pharma around saying, medicare should be able to negotiate drug prices. and so, we have now capped the cost of prescription medication on an annual basis for seniors

at $2000, $2000 a year. these are some of the various issues we have taken on, including what we have done around dealing with, for example , talking about health care, let's talk about an issue that holds so many americans, medical debt. medical debt, which for most people, many people, comes out of facing a medical emergency for which you are not prepared. in terms of financially not prepared. so we have passed a rule that says now that medical debt cannot be accounted in your credit score. think about what that means. ms. ralph: thank you. v.p. harris: and that medical debt cannot be calculated in terms of ensuring you credit. be that for a car loan, a credit card loan. again, understanding, we want people to not just -- the president and i feel very

strongly on this is probably just part of our philosophy in terms of our administration. we have been doing things with the sincere belief that people shouldn't just be able to get by, but should be able to get ahead. you know. [applause] and, a lot of what we have done, these are all women's issues and everyone's issues. the work we have done that is now where we have created over 15 million new jobs this week. ms. ralph: 15 million? v.p. harris: we have created over 850 new manufacturing jobs and we are manufacturing here in america. creating these jobs right here. investing in new industries. that has been exciting. i think what we have accomplished has been, and history will show it's been

historic and historians are showing that you compare what we've done to the eisenhower years. what we have done to invest in infrastructure, what we have done to invest in manufacturing and in the american workforce to address health care is exceptional. and listen, i will cut to the chase. we have an election coming up in 181 days. ms. ralph: 108? v.p. harris: might as well be eight days. given how we need to hustle. listen, in the context of everything we have discussed in understanding the complexity, nuance, so many issues. november of 2024 is binary. there's two choices. i would throw up a split screen. on the one hand and on the one side, in joe biden and our administration's you've got competence, you have compassion,

and we have actually accomplished things on behalf of the american people. guest: -- [applause] on the others, you have the former president who openly admires dictators and has said he will be a dictator on day one. has said, essentially that he will weaponize the department of justice against his political enemies. has said he is proud of things like taking the constitutional right from the women of america. in, i do believe the course of our country for generations will be impacted by the selection. -- this election. i will also say this. this will be my final point. i think there is something, frankly quite perverse that has happened over the last several years. which is, for some people to suggest that the measure of

strength is based on who you beat down. instead of what we know, that the true measure of one's strength is based on who you lift up. ms. ralph: yes. yes. v.p. harris: right. and the strength and character in real leaders is also measured by the kind of character that has some level of concern and care about the suffering of other people. and then takes it upon themselves to do something about that. and as much as anything, that is the contrast in the split screen that is before us now that really does extend to the character of who we are as a nation. in all of that is at stake. and let me tell y'all something. we are going to win. we are going to win. ms. ralph: yes! we are going to

win! yes. yes. ladies and gentlemen. trust women, trust our vice president, madame vice president , kamala harris! [applause] ♪ [cheering] ♪

saturday, donald trump speaks at a campaign ral our coverage begins at 5:00 eastern on c-span, c-span now, and c-span.org. >> the house will be in order. >> this year, c-span celebrates 45 years of covering congress like no other.