‘We Are More Than Just Baby-Making Vessels’

Former First Lady Michelle Obama joined Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday afternoon in Kalamazoo, Michigan for a get-out-the-vote rally and delivered an impassioned speech to appeal to men who may not feel immediately impacted by GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s anti-women policies as well as those who may be sitting on the sidelines to get to the polls.

Obama shared that since the eradication of Roe v. Wade and Trump’s promotion of state restrictions, which has already led to catastrophic results, that it will likely only become worse for all.

She brought up Trump’s “deep contempt” for women, explaining that “a vote for him is a vote against us, against our health, against our worth.” Addressing men directly, she asked: “So fellows, before you cast your votes, ask yourselves, what side of history do you want to be on?”

Obama acknowledged the frustration at “the slow pace of change” many must feel. “We all know we have a lot more work to do in this country,” she said. “But to anyone out there thinking about sitting out this election or voting for Donald Trump or a third party candidate in protest because you’re fed up: Let me warn you, your rage does not exist in a vacuum. If we don’t get this election right — your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women will become collateral damage to your rage.”

“So are you, as men, prepared to look into the eyes of the women and children you love and tell them that you supported this assault on our safety?” she said. “And to the women listening, we have every right to demand that the men in our lives, do better by us. We have to use our voices to make these choices clear to the men that we love: Our lives are worth more than their anger and disappointment, and we are more than just baby-making vessels.”

Harris followed, and also addressed women’s suffering when it comes to the loss of reproductive rights.

“Donald Trump still refuses to even acknowledge the pain and suffering he has caused. He insists that, and I’m going to quote, ‘Everybody wanted Roe v. Wade to be overturned.’ Come on, everybody wanted this? Women are being denied care during miscarriages, some only being treated once they develop sepsis,” Harris said. “They didn’t want this. Couples just trying to grow their family who have been cut off from IVF treatments — they didn’t want this.

“The men of America seeing their daughters, wives, sisters, and mothers put at risk because their rights have been stripped away. The men of America don’t want this,” she continued. “Women have died because of these bans. How could anybody say that they wanted this? And you have heard me say, I do believe Donald Trump to be an unserious man, but the consequences of him ever being president again are brutally serious.”

Their visit comes on the same day early in-person voting begins statewide in Michigan. Absentee voting has been underway in Michigan for weeks, with around 1.4 million ballots already returned as of Friday morning, according to the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office. Trump also appeared in Michigan for a rally in Detroit suburb Novi on Saturday, where he ripped on Detroit again.

Trump and Harris are running neck and neck nationally along with in the battleground state of Michigan. In 538 Project and ABC News latest polls averages, Harris is at 47.6 percent with Trump at 47.2 percent in the swing state as of Saturday morning. The final The New York Times/Siena Poll published on Friday, shows Harris and Trump deadlocked with 48 percent each for the popular vote nationally.