1 of 3 | Vice President Kamala Harris meets with disability rights leaders on reproductive rights in the Ceremonial office at the White House Tuesday. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI |
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July 26 (UPI) -- Vice President Kamala Harris met with leaders and advocates from the disability community Tuesday afternoon to mark the 32nd anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The discussion was meant to draw attention to and build support for those with disabilities who Harris said are disproportionately affected by the recent Supreme Court decision effectively ending a woman's constitutional right to an abortion, the White House said in a release.
"We know that all people with disabilities, of course, in the United States should have full access to reproductive care and the reproductive care they need. But these abortion restrictions that are being put in place in our country by extremist, so-called leaders in various states will have disproportionate impacts on people with disabilities," Harris said during her opening address.
"The ADA was signed into law to protect the rights of Americans with disabilities. And with the recent Dobbs decision by the United States Supreme Court, I have particular concerns about how that decision will uniquely impact Americans with disabilities."
People with disabilities experience higher rates of unemployment, receive only a fraction of the minimum wage or market salary for performing the same work, and many are segregated away from traditional work, the White House said in a statement.
Harris laid out several areas in which the court's recent ruling may impact persons with disabilities, and said there is "still a lot of work to do in our country as it relates to fulfilling the promise of the ADA."
She said reproductive healthcare is "one example where ... disparities still exist, as it relates to people in our country who have disabilities."
President Joe Biden also signed a proclamation Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the act.
"The act of the United States Supreme Court to take away a constitutional right that had been recognized for the people of America, will impact a lot of people and differently in some situations and we need to be responsive to these issues and also lift up the voices of these people that will be impacted," Harris said ahead of the discussion.
The vice president said the administration will continue to work to ensure that the vision of the ADA is fully implemented for all Americans with disabilities.
