ATLANTA – Rep. Doug Emhoff, in an exclusive interview with NBC News, says he sees a role for men in the ongoing battle for access, calling for more men to get involved in abortion rights.
Emhoff, who partnered with a group called Men4Choice to organize the panel in Atlanta, said men should see the fight over abortion as both a women’s issue and a family issue that affects the fundamental freedoms of all Americans. In the run-up to the November election, he plans to mobilize men across the country around the issue and highlight the importance of men’s allies with women on reproductive health.
“This is a matter of justice for women. Women are dying,” Emhoff said. “It affects one’s ability to plan one’s life. It’s also a question of what happens next, what other freedoms are at risk. And these freedoms affect all Americans, not just women.”
Emhoff, whose wife Vice President Kamala Harris’ historic election propelled him to the role of first-in-command, said he felt a responsibility to speak out about abortion. He believes that millions of Americans Roe v. Wade is suffering from the consequences of the Supreme Court overturning it.
As part of their efforts, Emhoff is holding events with Men4Choice in states like Florida, Arizona and North Carolina. The second gentleman also discusses the topic with men in his private life.
“I talk to my other dad friends about it,” he said. “I talk to my son about it. And not because I have a daughter. I have a son and we talk about it, how it will affect him and how he will start a family or not.”
Emhoff’s event on Tuesday marked the fifth anniversary of Georgia’s six-week ban on most abortions. And he had a direct message to many male Republican lawmakers who have been instrumental in passing new state abortion restrictions: “Stop it. Listen to the people in this country. See what happens. Listen to the doctors, listen to the nurses, listen to the men and women who suffered because of those actions. Just listen and do the right thing.”
Emhoff also stressed that everyone should be concerned that the Supreme Court’s repeal of federal abortion rights could take away other freedoms Americans enjoy. “What are we after next?” he said. “So this is contraception? Is it right to marry the one you want to marry, to love the one you want to love? Read what you want to read?”
Harris became the administration’s most prominent voice on abortion. On Tuesday, Emhoff echoed both Harris and President Joe Biden in saying he sees the changing abortion landscape as a “healthcare crisis” created by former President Donald Trump.
“This is a binary election. On one side you have a former president celebrating the overturning of Roe v Wade, saying women should be punished,” Emhoff said. “And then on the other side, there’s Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who are on the right side of every one of these issues. And so I’m going to do nothing but work as hard as I can to make sure they get re-elected.”
According to several polls, a majority of Americans support access to abortion, and this is one of the issues where Biden has an advantage over Trump with voters. Trump, for his part, has said he wants to leave the issue of abortion up to the states and Roe v. He said he was proud of his role in getting Wade overturned. Many Republicans have also expressed support for more restrictions on abortion, as several states are expected to vote on ballots that would determine access to the procedure.
Separately, Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president, also spoke about the rise of anti-Semitism in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas and the pro-Palestinian protests that have swept college campuses. Emhoff said he wants to fight all hate, including Islamophobia and prejudice against members of the LGTBQ community. He also stressed that people should be allowed to protest peacefully, but not attack people because of their identity.
“It’s okay to exercise your right to free speech and make valid criticism of Israeli policies that you disagree with,” Emhoff said. “It’s good to do it. But when he moves on to what we see. You know, someone holding up a sign that says, “Hamas, this is your next victim,” pointing at the Jewish students. It’s just overwhelming. This is a page. This is anti-Semitism. And this should be stopped.”
He added that Biden and Harris are working around the clock to end the conflict, protect civilian lives in Gaza and free hostages held by Hamas.