>> vice president harris called this a print court draft opinion on abortion "a direct assault on freedom." while speaking at a group posted by emily's list. the group has been working to elect more pro-choice women to serve in public office. ♪ vice pres. harris: good evening. good evening. please have a seat. good evening. good evening. i want to thank miss butler.

i have known her for many years, she and i being in different positions when we got to know each other working together. and i would say that we are very fortunate that we have a leader in butler at a moment like this, and the history of our country. [applause] thank you. i also want to recognize the first second gentleman of the united states. [applause] doug emhoff. [applause] so, if there was ever any doubt about why emily's list is important, last night makes the point. women's rights in america are

under attack. roe v. wade has protected a woman's right -- [crashing sound] -- yeah, it is powerful. [laughter] roe v. wade, in its power, has protected a woman's right to make decisions about her own body for nearly half a century. if the court overturns roe v. wade, it will be a direct assault on freedom. on the fundamental right of self determination, to which all americans are entitled. roe projects the right --pro tax

--roe protects a woman's right to abortion. it also protects the right to make decisions on what she does with her own body. [applause] so, to the friends, i say we have always been clear, but today, we know our purpose. we know also what we are up against. we have been on the frontlines of this fight for many years, all of us in this together. and now, we enter a new phase. there is nothing hypothetical about this moment. let me be clear. this fight requires the work of

this very organization, emily's list, to elect [applause] pro-choice democrats to congress. [cheering] now, at this very moment, roe v. wade remains the law of the land. but let's talk about what a world without roe looks like. women in almost half the country could see their access to abortion severely limited. in 13 of those states, women would lose access to abortion immediately and outright. those republican leaders who are trying to weaponize the use of the law against women, we say, how dare they?

how dare they tell a woman what she can do and cannot do with her own body? how dare they? [applause] how dare they try to stop her from determining her own verdure -- her own future? how dare they try to deny women their rights and their freedoms? you know, three years ago when i was a united states senator, i asked the question -- can you think of any laws that give the government power to make decisions about the male body? and the response, you will recall, was essentially, can't think of any. so, when we look at the big picture, those who attack roe

have been clear -- they want to ban abortion in every state. they want to bully anyone who seeks or provides reproductive health care. and they want to criminalize and punish women for making these decisions. at its core, roe recognizes the fundamental right to privacy. think about that for a moment. when the right to privacy is attacked, anyone in our country may face a future when the

government can interfere with their personal decisions. not just women, anyone. and it has never been more clear which party wants to expand our rights, and which party wants to restrict them. ed has never been more clear -- it has never been more clear. it has never been more clear which party wants to lead us forward, and which party wants to push us back. you know, some republican leaders, they want to take us back to a time before roe v. wade, back to a time before obergfell v. hodges,

before griswold versus connecticut. but we are not going back. we are not going back. [applause] because at evercore -- at our core, the strength of our country is that we fight to move forward. you know, i have spent my entire career fighting for the health, safety and well-being of women with so many of you in this room. and once again, friends, we must link arms in this fight. i invite all people to join us. if you stand for freedom, for self-determination, for the right to privacy, if you stand for these principles, stand with

us. [applause] because women's issues are america's issues. and democracies, democracies cannot be strong if the rights of women are under attack. [applause] to all here, i say let us fight for our country and for the principles upon which it was founded, and let us fight with everything we have got. god bless you and god bless america. ♪

>> president biden spoke about concerns about the future of abortion rights after a draft opinion from the supreme court was linked to the press in support of striking down the landmark 1973 case, roe v. wade. speaking to reporters, the president said it would be a "radical decision" to overturn the ruling. reporter: what did you think of the draft lake, sir? pres. biden: i just got a call that it had been announced that it was a real draft, but it hasn't been announced to his going to vote for it yet.