JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — We're now just a little over six months away from the 2024 Presidential Election and in just a few hours, Vice President Kamala Harris will board C-32 (call sign Air Force Two) to fly to Jacksonville Wednesday for a campaign event.
Harris' visit comes on the same day Florida's new 6-week abortion ban goes into effect. The vice president will discuss the harms inflicted by state abortion bans not only in Florida, but throughout the country. She will highlight how Florida’s new abortion ban "threatens doctors and nurses with criminal prosecution and how it bans abortion at a point before many women even know they are pregnant," a news release states.
The event is her fourth campaign event within the last month, as she has been traveling to several states that have not permanently banned abortion during her '2024 Fight For Reproductive Freedoms' tour.
Traveling just like some pregnant women have been doing. According to First Coast Women Services, women from neighboring states travel to the center just to learn how they can go forward with abortion within state lines.
"She is promoting abortion and abortion rights, and Florida is one of the states she would love to see go ahead with more freedom with the rights of abortion," First Coast Women Services CEO Judy Weber told First Coast News regarding Harris.
The campaign event comes on the heels of an appearance by President Joe Biden in Tampa last week, which also focused on reproductive freedom.
The following statement was provided to First Coast News via the Biden-Harris campaign:
“Today, an extreme abortion ban takes effect in Florida, banning reproductive health care before many women even know they are pregnant. There is one person responsible for this nightmare: Donald Trump. Trump brags about overturning Roe v. Wade, making extreme bans like Florida’s possible, saying his plan is working ‘brilliantly.’ He thinks it’s brilliant that more than four million women in Florida, and more than one in three women in America, can’t get access to the care they need. Now, he wants to go even further, making it clear he would sign a national abortion ban if elected. Just yesterday, he once again endorsed punishing women for getting the care they need.
“Trump is worried the voters will hold him accountable for the cruelty and chaos he created. He’s right. Trump ripped away the rights and freedom of women in America. This November, voters are going to teach him a valuable lesson: Don’t mess with the women of America.”
The vice president will be introduced in Jacksonville by Dr. Shelly Tien, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist based in Arizona and Florida, the release states. State Rep. and Leader of the Florida House Democratic Caucus Fentrice Driskell and Mayor Donna Deegan will also speak during the event.
Here is the timeline of the vice president's visit to the River City Wednesday:
- At 10:55 a.m., Harris will depart Washington, D.C. en route to Jacksonville. The departure will happen from Joint Base Andrews.
- At 12:45 p.m., Harris will arrive in Jacksonville for her second visit to the state in 2024. She will arrive at Jacksonville International Airport.
- At 2:45 p.m., Harris will deliver remarks about the fight for reproductive freedoms at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center
- At 4:40 p.m., Harris will depart Jacksonville en route to D.C.
- At 6:20 p.m., Harris will arrive back in D.C.