2020 candidate Kamala Harris targets state abortion bans

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said that if she won the White House, she would require states seeking to restrict abortion laws to first obtain federal approval.

The senator from California said she would back legislation requiring states with a history of restricting abortion rights to receive clearance from the Justice Department to change abortion laws.

The move comes as the issue of abortion moves to the forefront of the presidential campaign. Harris is among the Democratic presidential candidates who have been sharply critical of a new spate of abortion laws that have cleared state legislatures and sharply curb abortion access. Supporters of such measures have openly predicted that the laws could spark court fights that will eventually lead the Supreme Court to revisit the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision.

Harris has specifically spoken out against anti-abortion bills that were passed in Georgia, Alabama, Ohio and Missouri.