During a speech marking the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris left out the words “life” and “Creator” from the Declaration of Independence. The vice president’s Sunday address sparked backlash, even from some progressives.
Last June, the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe decision, which legalized most abortions nationwide. Harris used Sunday’s speech to criticize Congressional Republicans, saying some want to ban abortion “even from the moment of conception.” She added, “The right of every woman in every state in this country to make decisions about her own body is on the line.”
Kamala Harris Lists ‘Liberty,’ ‘Happiness,’ But Not ‘Life’
“So we are here together because we collectively believe and know America is a promise,” Harris said in prepared remarks. “It is a promise of freedom and liberty, not just some but for all. A promise we made in the Declaration of Independence that we are each endowed with the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
The original text reads: “…that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Reaction was swift, from people in both parties. “Hey @VP, It’s LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” tweeted Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert. “We have the right to LIFE.”
Republican communicator Matt Whitlock retweeted video of Harris’ speech, writing, “This point is obvious but when the ‘right to life’ blows up your message so bad you have to pretend it doesn’t exist then maybe your message isn’t very good.”
Tony Perkins, founder of the conservative Family Research Council, also retweeted video of the speech, asking if the vice president’s omissions were “[uninformed] or intentionally deceptive?”
LifeNews.com tweeted: “It’s no surprise Kamala Harris left God and the right to life out of the Declaration of Independence. She worships abortion.”
Pro-Life Democrat Calls Kamala Harris ‘A Traitor to Our Party’
Kamala Harris’ wording also sparked anger from within her own party. Terrisa Bukovinac, former Democrats for Life of America president, says, “Few people in Washington [are] more complicit in the mass murder of the unborn that Kamala Harris.”
Bukovinac, an atheist who founded Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, calls Harris “a traitor to our party and to the values of non-violence and non-discrimination.” In a statement to The Christian Post, she adds that her organization “will continue to fight for a future where [Harris’] treachery is remembered with contempt and shame.”
Pro-life Democrats may feel discouraged by their party’s extreme abortion stance, says Katie Glenn of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. According to one recent poll, a majority of Americans who favor significant restrictions on abortion are Democrats.
