Harris to hold Iowa event on abortion opposite GOP gathering featuring Trump, DeSantis

Vice President Harris will head to Iowa on Friday to highlight the effects of the state's recently signed abortion ban, setting up a split-screen as top GOP presidential candidates are set to speak in Iowa the same night.

Harris will travel to Des Moines to host a conversation with health care providers, patients, local leaders and reproductive rights advocates on efforts to protect abortion access across the country, the White House said.

The vice president is expected to discuss Iowa's efforts to effectively enact a blanket ban on abortions in the state and highlight the impacts of attempts to curtail access to reproductive health care, the White House said.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) earlier this month signed legislation that would ban almost all abortions after the detection of fetal cardiac activity, which is usually six weeks into a pregnancy and before many women know they are pregnant. There are some exceptions for rape, incest and fetal abnormalities.

Prior to the law, abortion was legal in the state up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.

A state court temporarily blocked the law from going into effect days after Reynolds signed it.

Harris will be in Iowa on the same day that most of the GOP presidential primary field will flock to the Hawkeye State to speak at the annual Lincoln Dinner, which is also taking place in Des Moines.

Former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and others will be in town to speak at the gathering of state Republicans.

Harris has in recent weeks settled into a role as the White House's main attack dog going after Republicans for controversial policies on abortion, book bans, educational guidelines and gun violence, among other topics.