Vice President Kamala Harris outraged anti-abortion conservatives by leaving out the right to “life” while referencing the Declaration of Independence in a Sunday speech.
Her omission of one of the three “unalienable Rights” mentioned in the seminal document of America’s founding came during remarks she delivered in Tallahassee, Florida, on the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.
“So we are here together because we collectively believe and know America is a promise. America is a promise. It is a promise of freedom and liberty — not for some, but for all,” Harris said.
“A promise we made in the Declaration of Independence that we are each endowed with the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” she added.
Harris, who is often criticized for overly simplistic, repetitive, or incoherent remarks, was blasted by Republican lawmakers and other conservatives for misquoting the founding fathers.
“.@VP conveniently forgets ‘life’ while quoting the Declaration of Independence at a pro-abortion rally. I guess it’s easy to rewrite our founding principles when you need it to fit your own narrative,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) wrote in a tweet on Monday.
“Hey @VP, It’s LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have the right to LIFE,” firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) wrote on Twitter.
“You forgot the unalienable right to life, @VP,” Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) said, also chiming in on Monday.
The founder of the conservative Family Research Council wondered on Monday whether Harris’ omission was a gaffe or duplicitous.
“Uniformed or intentionally deceptive? Vice President Kamala Harris omits the right to life and the Creator from the Declaration of Independence,” Tony Perkins said Monday.
The Republican National Committee also seized on the vice president’s remarks, tweeting out video of the speech and asking if she doesn’t believe in one of the fundamental rights of all Americans.
“Does Kamala Harris not believe in the right to life?” RNC Research, a Twitter account affiliated with the RNC, observed Monday.
The landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which granted women the right to an abortion nationwide, was overturned by the Supreme Court in June 2022. The ruling in last summer’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case now allows for states to set their own abortion laws.