Former first lady Michelle Obama is making a closing argument for Vice President Harris this election season with an appeal to defend abortion rights, specifically to men. Mrs. Obama says men — who overwhelmingly back President Trump, just as women overwhelmingly back Ms. Harris — need to “take our lives seriously” with respect to a woman’s right to choose. 

Speaking to supporters of Ms. Harris at a Kalamazoo, Michigan rally on Saturday night, the former first lady said men have a vested interest in protecting abortion rights because it will be them “praying” at their wives’, their girlfriends’, and their sisters’ bedsides if there is a complication as a result of their pregnancies or other reproductive issues. 

“Your girlfriend could be the one 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 wife or mother could be the ones at higher risks of dying from undiagnosed cervical cancer because they have no access to regular gynecological care. Your daughter could be the one too terrified to call the doctor if she’s bleeding during an unexpected pregnancy,” Ms. Obama said. 

The former first lady said to men in the room that it will be their sons who are unable to attend college, unable to start a career, and unable to leave home if they are forced to become young fathers. It will be those young men who are “holding flowers at the funeral” if the mother of their children dies because of pregnancy complications. 

“You might be the one left to raise your children alone,” Ms. Obama said to young men. 

The former first lady said she is feeling “frustrated” and “angry” that large swaths of this country — particularly men, who are backing Trump by a nine-point margin, according to a new CBS poll — are not “ready” to back Ms. Harris. 

“I gotta ask myself: Why on earth is this race even close?” Ms. Obama said in Michigan. “I lay awake at night wondering, ‘what in the world is going on?’ And it’s clear to me whether Kamala is ready for this moment — because by every measure she has demonstrated that she’s ready. The real question is: As a county, are we ready for this moment?”

Ms. Obama hinted that the vice president is being held to a higher standard because of her gender and her race, saying that America expects nothing from Trump while demanding Ms. Harris be perfect at all times. 

“I hope you’ll forgive me if I’m a little frustrated that some of us are choosing to ignore Donald Trump’s gross incompetence while asking Kamala to dazzle us at every turn. I hope that you’ll forgive me if I’m a little angry that we are indifferent to his erratic behavior, his obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known slumlord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse — all of this while we pick apart Kamala’s answers from interviews he doesn’t even have the courage to do,” Ms. Obama told the Michigan crowd.