In her first stop on 2024 campaign trail, former first lady Michelle Obama delivered an urgent message to men, arguing that the election could have life or death consequences for the women they love.
"I am asking y'all from the core of my being to take our lives seriously," she said at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The former first lady praised Harris' credentials and urged voter turnout and engagement in her speech. But she devoted significant time, laden with emotion, to arguing that there would be dire consequences for the future of women's health if former President Donald Trump were elected once more.
"To the men who love us, let me just try to paint a picture of what it will feel like if America, the wealthiest nation on earth, keeps revoking basic care from its women and how it will affect every single woman in your life," Obama said.
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Obama argued a woman affected by the policies could be "in legal jeopardy if she needs a pill from out of state or overseas, or if she has to travel across state lines because the local clinic closed up."
"Your daughter could be the one too terrified to call the doctor if she’s bleeding during an unexpected pregnancy. Your niece could be the one miscarrying in her bathtub after the hospital turned her away," she continued.
"And this will not just affect women; it will affect you and your sons," she said, suggesting both men and women would suffer from "the devastating consequences of teen pregnancy."
Obama expanded beyond abortion, suggesting that increasingly limited access to types of women's health care could also have serious ramifications for miscarriage care, cancer screenings and access to medical professionals.
“Your wife or mother could be the ones at higher risk of dying from undiagnosed cervical cancer because they have no access to regular gynecological care,” she said.
“And then there is the tragic but very real possibility that in the worst case scenario, you just might be the one holding flowers at the funeral,” she later added. “You might be the one left to raise your children alone.”
Her speech comes as polling indicates a wide gender gap in Americans’ support for Harris and Trump. An NBC News poll from October found that women were supporting Harris by a 14-point margin, while men were supporting Trump by a 16-point margin. Polls from multiple major outlets also have showed that Harris and Trump are locked in an extremely tight race.
Obama also addressed voters who were considering not casting ballots or voting for Trump or a third party candidate in protest, arguing that "we as women will become collateral damage to your rage."
"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 asked.
NBC News has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
Trump's stance on reproductive rights has evolved over the years. While he at one point supported abortion rights, he now takes credit for his role in the overruling of Roe v. Wade after he appointed three justices to the Supreme Court who voted with the majority. Trump says he supports states’ rights to decide the legality of abortion procedures within their own borders, and he's said that he would not sign a federal ban.
Obama also contended that some people are "holding Kamala to a higher standard than her opponent."
"We expect her to be intelligent and articulate, to have a clear set of policies, to never show too much anger, to prove time and time again that she belongs," she said. "But for Trump, we expect nothing at all. No understanding of policy, no ability to put together a coherent argument, no honesty, no decency, no morals."
And she insinuated that Harris could suffer electorally if Americans aren't "ready for this moment."
"It’s clear to me that the question isn’t whether Kamala is ready for this moment because by every measure, she has demonstrated that she’s ready," she said. "The real question is: as a country, are we ready for this moment?"
More than 7,000 people attended the rally, according to a Harris campaign official. Most people in the room stood during Obama’s entire 40-minute speech, frequently breaking into cheers and emphasizing her comments.
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