Vice President Kamala Harris is embarking on her “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” campaign in Florida, where a six-week abortion restriction is set to go into effect. Harris will be in Jacksonville to speak out against state abortion restrictions, following the strategy of blaming former President Donald Trump for appointing Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade.
The event, announced on Tuesday, will have Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan in attendance. Deegan expressed her belief in keeping government out of women’s reproductive choices, emphasizing the importance of privacy.
This visit by Harris follows President Joe Biden’s recent trip to Tampa, where he also spoke on abortion and criticized Trump for the impending six-week restriction in effect in Florida.
The six-week abortion restriction in Florida was upheld by the state Supreme Court, with Governor Ron DeSantis signing the Heartbeat Bill into law in 2023. This has made Florida a prominent destination for abortion in the South, as neighboring states have also implemented stringent abortion restrictions.
The Guttmacher Institute reported that one in every three abortions in the South and one in 12 nationwide occur in Florida, with a significant number of women traveling from out of state for the procedure.
In response to the six-week restriction, a proposed amendment aiming to protect abortion rights in the state constitution is set to appear on the ballot in November. Backed by Floridians Protecting Freedom, the amendment would prevent the state from restricting abortion before viability or if necessary for the patient’s health.
President Biden’s reelection campaign sees Florida as winnable due to the ongoing focus on abortion issues. Governor DeSantis remains confident in Republican victories in the state, despite Democratic efforts to use abortion as a key issue in the upcoming election.
