“Can we truly be free if families cannot make intimate decisions about the course of their own lives?” Harris said in a fiery speech before a boisterous crowd of 1,500 people in Tallahassee, Florida.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Florida is critical because its rules for abortion are less restrictive than its neighbors, making it a relatively safe harbor for women in the region who are trying to end their pregnancies.

Yet, Republicans in Congress and across the country continue to push for a national abortion ban, to criminalize doctors and nurses, and to make contraception harder to access.

Democrats have concluded that the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade reshaped the political landscape for last year’s elections, rejuvenating the party’s chances when analysts had expected a Republican wipeout.

Democrats still lost control of the House and expanded their Senate majority by only one vote, meaning legislation that would create a nationwide right to abortion remains out of reach.

Renee Bracey Sherman, founder and executive director of the group We Testify, which advocates for women who have had abortions, said she is disappointed that Biden hasn’t done more.