Kamala Harris to discuss reproductive rights in Des Moines as GOP candidates flock to state
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Iowa this week to discuss efforts to protect reproductive rights, a White House official told the Des Moines Register.
Harris will be in Des Moines March 16 to meet with local leaders. It continues a series of meetings she has been holding across the country since the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision in May, which overturned Roe v. Wade and Americans' constitutional right to abortion.
So far, Harris has hosted 40 meetings across the country focused on reproductive rights, the official said.
"This issue is about women’s autonomy, their freedom to decide whether and when to have children," Harris said during a call with reporters Monday, where she highlighted "extreme" measures limiting abortion access across the country. "These laws also endanger women’s health, putting their lives in jeopardy."
Harris' trip comes as Republican presidential hopefuls have been visiting the state in anticipation of the 2024 Iowa caucuses.
Former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina have all made recent trips to Iowa, touting conservative policies.
Abortion is legal in Iowa in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. But the state's legal landscape remains unsettled when it comes to abortion restrictions.
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds is asking the Iowa Supreme Court to allow a law to take effect that would ban most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.
Top Republicans in the Legislature want to wait for the outcome of that case before they pass any further laws.
But some have angled for quicker action, filing a bill earlier this year that stated life begins at conception and would have banned all abortions in Iowa. That bill did not survive a legislative deadline known as the "funnel" as is not expected to advance further.
Additional details about the vice president's travel to the state were not immediately available.
USA TODAY White House correspondent Francesca Chambers contributed to this story.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: VP Kamala Harris to discuss reproductive rights in Des Moines
