Op-Ed: This November, we decide what is best for our families, and we won’t go back.

This week, I’m in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, and I’m here for the Kamalanomenon. 

When Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, the atmosphere in this presidential race fundamentally changed. Harris rose to the occasion with joy and a positive vision for the future, focusing on what brings us together rather than what tears us apart. But most exciting for an abortion rights advocate like me: Harris immediately put reproductive freedom at the center of her campaign — a message bolstered by her choice of running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. 

Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have strong track records of fighting for reproductive rights, increasing access to affordable health care, and supporting policies that help families thrive. 

As a member of Congress, Harris championed birth control access, the Affordable Care Act, and fought to improve Black maternal health outcomes. After the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, she used her position as vice president to uplift and listen to abortion providers, patients, and advocates, crisscrossing the country to witness the devastation of abortion bans firsthand. 

Gov. Walz has always been a fierce advocate for reproductive health, and after Roe was overturned, he acted swiftly to codify abortion protections in Minnesota — the first governor to do so after we lost federal protections for our abortion rights. This year, Harris made history as the first sitting vice president to visit a Planned Parenthood health center — and she was accompanied by Gov. Walz. 

Meanwhile, Donald Trump and JD Vance have surrounded themselves with the staunch anti-abortion, anti-democracy architects of Project 2025 — a conservative blueprint to roll back abortion access nationwide, fundamentally reshape American life, and give the president unprecedented and unchecked power. Their platform is not about what they can do for us, but what they can — and will — take away from the American people. 

Trump has repeatedly taken credit for appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe and has called for women and doctors to be punished for providing and accessing abortion. JD Vance has repeatedly attacked reproductive freedom throughout his career and even voted against protections for IVF as a US senator. 

Fundamentally, this election is about two different futures for America. The choice is between Donald Trump and a Project 2025 government that wants to control every aspect of American life, and Vice President Kamala Harris, who believes we should have control over our own bodies and health care. 

As Trump and Vance hide from their records in hopes of manipulating voters and steamrolling over the rights we have left, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are the only ones that North Carolinians can trust to fight for the whole of our person – for our right to control our bodies, lives, and futures. This November, we need to turn out not just for them, but for ourselves.