“To all the men and women in this room and watching across the country, we need you,” Beyoncé said.

The music megastar, who was accompanied by his mother Tina Knowles and former bandmate Kelly Rowland, told the cheering crowd that he was not attending the rally as a celebrity or politician.

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“I’m here as a mother,” Beyoncé said, talking about how her children will see “the sacrifices made so that we can witness the strength of a woman… reimagine what leadership is.”

Harris walked out to huge applause. The vice president told the crowd that Trump had erased half a century of hard-fought progress with his appointment of Supreme Court justices. Roe v. wade and touched on a health crisis.

“To anyone watching from another state, if you think you’re protected from Trump’s abortion bans because you live in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, California, or any state where voters or legislators protect reproductive freedom, please know this: No one is protected,” he said. . “Because Donald Trump’s national ban will ban abortion in every state.”

“All this to say, elections matter,” he said.

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Harris listed the side effects she has seen from various bans, such as “women having fewer options, fewer medical students choosing to specialize in women’s health.”

His campaign said it was his biggest rally yet; Crowds waited for hours wearing flashing red, white and blue LED bracelets as speakers emphasized the medical effects of abortion restrictions and “trust women” and “freedom” flashed on large screens between demonstrations.

She was joined at the rally by women who nearly died from sepsis and other pregnancy complications because they were unable to receive proper medical care, including women who never intended to terminate their pregnancies.

Some were already campaigning for Harris, and others told their harrowing stories in campaign ads that tried to show how the issue had morphed into something much bigger than the right to end an unwanted pregnancy.

Since the abortion Restricted in TexasThe state’s infant mortality rate increased, more babies died from birth defects, and maternal deaths increased.

As the presidential election heats up, Harris is banking on abortion rights as a key driver for voters; That includes Republican women, especially since Trump appointed three of the Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn the constitutional right.

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Although Trump has said he would veto a national abortion ban, he has been inconsistent in his message to voters on abortion and reproductive rights. He has repeatedly changed his stance and provided vague, contradictory and at times inane answers to questions on an issue that has become a major vulnerability for Republicans in this year’s election.

Thousands of people excitedly lined up at the vice president’s first and only campaign stop in the nation’s fourth-largest city.

“Sometimes they forget about us because we’re a Republican state,” said Rhonda Johnson, who has lived in Houston for 19 years. “But I’m glad he’s here.”

Reproductive rights, economics and LGBTQ issues were the main reasons for Yannick Djomatchoua’s decision to support Harris and wait in line for hours to see her. “It’s very personal,” she said, adding that she knows friends who have had to make difficult decisions because of the state’s abortion restrictions.
Abortion rights was also an important issue for 27-year-old Rhyle Lobo, who believed Houston-born Beyoncé would turn up the vice president’s enthusiasm.

Harris’ campaign has taken Beyoncé’s 2016 song “Freedom” as an anthem, and the message dovetails with the vice president’s emphasis on reproductive freedom. On Friday, Harris was joined by actress Jessica Alba and Willie Nelson performed some of her biggest hits, including “On the Road Again.”
“Hey, how are you?” Nelson, 91, asked the crowd. “Are we ready to say, Mr. President?”

They are the latest stars to catch Harris’ eye, including Lizzo, James Taylor, Spike Lee, Tyler Perry, Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Springsteen. and Eminem. While in Texas, Harris also recorded a podcast with host Brené Brown.

Trump was also in Texas on Friday, where he predicted he would set a record for the number of people deported from the United States if he wins the election. He recorded a podcast with Joe Rogan.
There is some evidence to suggest that abortion rights could drive women to the polls, as it did in the 2022 midterm elections. Voters in seven states, including some conservatives, have either protected abortion rights or defeated attempts to restrict those rights in statewide ballot measures in the past two years.

Democrats warn that the gains in rights and freedoms will only continue if Trump is elected. For example, Republican lawmakers in states across the U.S. are rejecting Democratic efforts to protect or expand access to birth control.

“Freedom should not be given in America. This should not be granted. It’s ours. Right. And that includes a woman’s fundamental freedom to make decisions about her own body and not let the government tell her what to do, Harris will say, according to prepared remarks.

Democrats also hope Harris’ visit will provide support for Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), who is making a long-shot bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Allred will attend the rally with Harris, and quotes say she would help regulate reproductive rights if elected.

When Roe After the bill’s initial rejection, Democrats initially focused on new limits on access to abortion to end unwanted pregnancies. However, the same medical procedures used for abortion are also used to treat miscarriages.

And in the 14 states where abortion is strictly banned, women cannot receive medical care until their condition becomes life-threatening. In some states, doctors may face criminal charges if they provide medical care.

Nearly 6 in 10 people think their state should allow legal abortion for a person who doesn’t want to get pregnant for any reason, according to a July poll. Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Texas post-Roe view. The strict abortion ban prohibits doctors from performing abortions after heart activity is detected, which can happen six weeks or earlier.
As a result, women, including those who do not want to terminate a pregnancy, are increasingly subjected to poor medical care. This is partly because doctors cannot intervene unless a woman is facing a life-threatening condition or is suffering from “significant impairment of essential body functions.”

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The state has also become a battleground for lawsuits. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state’s ban just two weeks ago.

Complaints of pregnant women in medical distress being turned away from emergency rooms in Texas and elsewhere have increased as hospitals grapple with whether the standard of care might violate strict state laws against abortion.