Vice President Harris to tour U.S. to promote abortion rights ahead of election

Vice President Kamala Harris is to launch a nationwide tour to promote reproductive freedoms as Democrats seek to make abortion rights a centerpiece of the 2024 presidential campaign.

Harris will kick off the tour in Wisconsin on January 22, the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that granted a constitutional right to abortion, the White House said Tuesday.

The current conservative-dominated court overturned that landmark ruling last year and more than 20 Republican-led states have banned or severely restricted access to abortion since then.

Wisconsin, where Harris will begin her "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour, is expected to be one of the battleground states in the presidential election, in which Democratic President Joe Biden is seeking a second term and Donald Trump is the likely Republican candidate.

"Extremists across our country continue to wage a full-on attack against hard-won, hard-fought freedoms as they push their radical policies –- from banning abortion in all 50 states and criminalizing doctors, to forcing women to travel out of state in order to get the care they need," Harris said in a statement.

"I will continue to fight for our fundamental freedoms while bringing together those throughout America who agree that every woman should have the right to make decisions about her own body -– not the government," she added.

Polls repeatedly show a clear majority of Americans support continued access to safe abortion, even as conservative groups push to limit the procedure -- or ban it outright.