Vice President Harris told NBC News on Tuesday that decisions about gender-affirming treatment should be left up to doctors and patients.
“We have to follow the law,” the vice president said when asked by NBC’s Harley Jackson if he believed in access to gender-affirming treatment.
Harris pointed out that former President Trump’s campaign spent money on ads saying Harris supported taxpayer-funded gender reassignment surgery.
“They’re trying to define you for this,” Jackson said, giving the vice president a chance to respond.
“Even on this issue of federal law, as the law states, people believe that is a decision to be made by a physician in terms of medical necessity. I wouldn’t put myself in a doctor’s position,” Harris said.
The vice president argued that Trump’s ads were intended to distract Americans from their own health care plans, including that Republicans have long intended to end the Affordable Care Act.
“We also see Donald Trump spend tens of millions of dollars in advertising to talk about two examples to ignore the fact that his policy and plan is to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which provides health care to tens of millions of people. Let us also understand that it is being posted. “The people of our country,” he said. “Let’s not be distracted by problems.”
Jackson pressed Harris to send a message to LGBTQ Americans who want “full support” for the transgender community.
“I believe that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect, should not be criticized for who they are, and should not be bullied for who they are. And that’s a true statement about my entire career. And that hasn’t changed,” she said.
Harris was also pressed on the issue of gender reassignment treatment during an interview with Fox News’ Brett Baier last week, during which Fox ran a Trump campaign ad claiming Harris supports taxpayer-funded surgery.
“I will follow the law, and this is the law that Donald Trump actually followed,” she said, referring to a New York Times report that people incarcerated in federal prisons under the then-Trump administration received gender reassignment treatment.
“Honestly, I think the Trump campaign ads are like living in a glass house and throwing rocks,” she added. “The government must take responsibility for what happened.”
