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Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday declared that an attack on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is an attack on maternal care as she joined Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit to rally support ahead of the November midterm elections.
Harris made the remarks during a campaign roundtable with El-Sayed and several healthcare advocates focused on Black maternal health and healthcare costs.
“An attack on DEI, to recognize diversity, equity and inclusion, is an attack by definition on maternal care, including the need to protect Black women in connection with their pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care,” Harris said.
She noted that maternal mortality rates are disproportionately higher among minority groups, with the risk of death increasing up to four times for Black women and three times for Native women.
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“One in 12 women in America currently lives in a maternal care desert with limited or no access to maternal care,” she added.
Harris then took aim at political leaders who tout “family values,” arguing that efforts to end DEI programs strip away protections aimed at supporting certain communities during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care.
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“As one of the most, some would say the most financially strong economies in the world, we have the distinction of also having one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world,” she said.
“So it raises the issue of disparities and also hypocrisy when there are leaders who otherwise walk around every day talking about their family values.”
Harris also turned her criticism toward President Donald Trump’s health care legislation, which she referred to as the “Big Bad Bill,” arguing that it cut Medicaid spending with the support of former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate nominee facing El-Sayed.
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“Medicaid is the largest funder for maternity care in America,” she said. “Donald Trump cut Medicaid funding by a trillion dollars. These are the facts Mike Rogers supported that cut through that ‘Big Bad Bill.’”
Harris closed by reaffirming her support for El-Sayed in the Senate race, pointing to his position on maternal health and saying she believes he would be a “champion” on the issue.
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“I’m here to support Doctor El Sayed, because, on this subject, I know he will be a champion,” she said. “And I have a right to say that.”