MANASSAS – Gwen Walz, the Minnesota First Lady and spouse of Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz, took issue with Ohio Senator JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, regarding his comments on family during her inaugural solo campaign event in Virginia on Friday.

“I saw that JD Vance expressed being troubled by teachers who do not have biological kids. Tim and I used to be teachers ourselves, and we faced infertility challenges, only able to start our family through fertility treatments,” Walz shared at the “Educators for Harris-Walz” event.

“This is deeply personal for me, as it is for countless Americans. We’re not fans of people like JD Vance dictating when or how we should build our families.”

“Let me channel my teacher voice: Mr. Vance, how about you focus on your own matters,” Walz said, receiving applause and cheers from the educators present, who echoed: “Mr. Vance, how about you focus on your own matters.”

Walz’s comments came after Vance claimed that his Democratic opponent had lied about conceiving their two children, Hope, 23, and Gus, 17, via in vitro fertilization instead of intrauterine insemination as revealed in a Glamour magazine article from August 19.

IUI might require medication for follicle development, and Gwen Walz explained to Glamour how a neighbor who worked as a nurse assisted her with “the shots I needed for the IUI procedure.” (“She helped me with the shots to keep us on track.”)

In her speeches, Harris has criticized former President Donald Trump for his stance on abortion, portraying Republicans as a danger to women’s rights, which include access to contraception, abortion pills, and fertility treatments.

Trump stated on Thursday that he would mandate either the government or insurance companies to cover IVF fertility treatments if he wins in November, a strategy likely aimed at attracting women and suburban voters.

“[He] firmly supports ensuring women have the necessary services to build healthy families, including broad access to IVF, contraception, and birth control, and he will always advocate for it,” noted Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt in a Friday statement.