Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Statement on Kamala Harris’ Pick of Tim Walz as Running Mate

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for her 2024 presidential bid. Harris and Walz have both shown a commitment to sexual and reproductive health care and rights. Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, released the following statement:

“By choosing Gov. Walz as her running mate, Vice President Harris has put forward the most pro-reproductive freedom ticket in history. Gov. Walz is a longtime champion of sexual and reproductive health care and has been a fierce abortion rights champion as governor, helping to protect abortion rights in Minnesota.

“The stakes of this election could not be higher, the contrast between the two tickets could not be clearer, and the state of sexual and reproductive health care in this country could not be more dire. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are the only people we can trust to ensure that everyone has the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies. Planned Parenthood Action Fund is committed to doing all we can to make sure these reproductive rights champions are elected in November.”

With Vice President Harris’ extensive record , adding Gov. Walz makes the Harris-Walz ticket the strongest reproductive freedom ticket in history. An outspoken champion of sexual and reproductive health, Gov. Tim Walz:

• Codified abortion rights. In January 2023, he signed the Protect Reproductive Options Act (PRO Act) into law, which codified reproductive rights into state law.
• Protected patients and providers. In April 2023, Gov. Walz signed the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act into law, which ensures that patients traveling to Minnesota for abortion care, and the providers who serve them, are protected from legal attacks and criminal penalties from other states.
• Supported expanded access to birth control and Medicaid reimbursement. As governor of Minnesota, his budget has included expansion for birth control access, family planning funding, and an increase in Medicaid reimbursement so people of all socioeconomic statuses can get the care they need to control their bodies and futures.
• Made history with Vice President Harris. As Vice President, Harris visited a Planned Parenthood health center, making her the first vice president in history to do so — and Gov. Walz accompanied her on this historic visit.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational, advocacy, and limited electoral activity, including grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and voter education