Shonda Rhimes and Gov. Josh Shapiro rallied for Kamala Harris in Montgomery County with a focus on access to women’s health care

A Hollywood powerhouse joined with a Pennsylvania political heavyweight Saturday to rally for Vice President Kamala Harris at a Montgomery County campaign stop where the focus was access to women’s health care.

Grey’s Anatomy and Bridgerton creator Shonda Rhimes and Gov. Josh Shapiro addressed a gathering of more than 100 people at the Plymouth Meeting office of Local 1776 of the United Food and Commercial Workers to remind voters of Harris’ intentions to ensure access to women’s health care if elected president, and of what they say are the dangers of a second Donald Trump presidency.

In a presidential election where Pennsylvania could play a definitive role, they portrayed the choice between Harris and Trump as a matter of protecting not only women’s rights but also the country’s future as a democracy.

“We all talk about how this is the most consequential election of our lifetimes, but it really is and it’s getting really close,” Rhimes told a cheering crowd. “The Democratic leadership we currently have made great strides as a nation: rebuilt the economy, lowered drug costs, passed the first gun safety regulation in 30 years, and one of the most significant climate change legislation in the history of the world. And we know that the MAGA Republican agenda wants to do the opposite — they want to move us backward, rip away our American rights and freedoms, and rig the economy for Donald’s friends.”

Rhimes, who also made a few appearances in Philadelphia on Saturday, said she believes in a future where every person has the opportunity to not just survive but thrive, where everyone is free from the fear of gun violence, and where women have the ability to make their own reproductive health decisions.

“I make stories up for a living, and for Grey’s Anatomy, my job was to always come up with the worst medical scenario and find a way to solve it,” Rhimes said. “I can’t make up these scenarios [Trump is proposing], and there’s no solution to them right now — and that’s terrifying. Someone’s life is hanging in the balance right now, and [Trump] is just too extreme.”

Echoing Rhimes, Shapiro argued that Harris is the only candidate who will enshrine access to health care, including abortion, into law.

“Reproductive health care is abortion in some cases — abortion is health care — but it’s also a full range of health-care options that women need to have,” Shapiro said in an interview. “Unfortunately, you’re seeing women in neighboring states like West Virginia, women who have health-care challenges, who have to literally cross state boundaries and come to Pennsylvania to access care. We will see more of that if Donald Trump becomes president.”

With just 38 days to go until the Nov. 5 election, access to abortion rights remains a top issue among Pennsylvania voters. According to a postdebate poll by The Inquirer, the New York Times, and Siena College, Harris holds a 25-point lead on Trump when it comes to the issue of abortion access, with 59% of voters trusting her more on the issue.

In Plymouth Meeting on Saturday, several in attendance said they believe access to women’s health care — including abortion, cancer screenings, and in vitro fertilization — is at risk if Trump returns to the White House.

Lansdale mother Tina Perez brought her 11-year-old daughter to the campaign event not only to emphasize the importance of staying politically active and voting, but also to help her understand what’s at stake for women this election.

“I was explaining to her as we were waiting in line that these issues will affect her and her generation,” Perez said. “When she gets older, if she wants to exercise her rights for any sort of reproductive choices that she wants to make, then she needs to be aware of this now.”

Friends Ashley Levins and Sarah Volynsky said they both have supported abortion rights for years, and they believe it’s essential to vote in November to ensure abortion access.

“I think with the scary things that have happened with Roe v. Wade, I feel more inclined to do something about it,” said Volynsky, a Wayne resident with a 15-month-old daughter.

In addition to access to reproductive health, Levins said, she is worried about the accessibility of health care in general. It is already hard enough to access for people lacking insurance and those with preexisting conditions, said Levins, who is a marriage and family therapist.

She said she fears that would worsen under Trump.