Health Care

Minnesota governor says ‘old white men’ need to listen to women on abortion

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz discusses the upcoming 2024 legislative session during an interview at his office in the state Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. The Minnesota Legislature convenes for its 2024 session on Monday, Feb. 12. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said “old white men” need to listen to women on the issue of abortion Thursday.

“I think old white men need to learn how to talk about this a little more. And I think the biggest thing is, listen to women, listen to what they’re saying,” Walz said during an interview on CNN’s “The Source” with anchor Kaitlan Collins. “We’ve seen that when we listen to them, they’re speaking loudly on the issue, and they’re speaking at the ballot box.”

Vice President Harris visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in Walz’s home state Thursday, becoming the first sitting president or vice president to visit a facility that provides abortion services. 

“I am here at this health care clinic to uplift the work that is happening in Minnesota as an example of what true leadership looks like,” she said following a tour of the facility. “Which is to understand it is only right and fair that people have access to the health care they need, and that they have access to health care in an environment where they are treated with dignity and respect.”

In his interview with Collins, Walz compared President Biden and Harris’s record on the issue of abortion with that of former President Trump.

“Look, the contrast couldn’t be greater, Donald Trump has made it very clear” Walz said. “He brags about a lot of things that are not true, he did not create jobs, he’s not a scratch golfer, he’s not in super good shape, but he did rip [Roe v. Wade] out.”

“He did appoint judges who are taking that away, and he will do it again,” Walz continued.

Walz’s state enacted a statute in 2022 protecting the right to reproductive freedom, including abortion, contraception and fertility services. Abortion is also protected under the state constitution as a result of the 1995 Doe v. Gomez decision by the Minnesota Supreme Court.