Biden Announces Steps to Protect Abortion Access as Pressure from Party Mounts

Facing pressure from his party to take more aggressive action on safeguarding abortion access, President Joe Biden announced steps his administration will take to protect medication access and provide legal representation to women who choose to travel out of state for the procedure. The Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade has sparked advocacy groups to push for strong action, including a declaration of a public health emergency and leasing federal property to abortion providers. Biden has resisted such moves, but his new executive order outlines steps to expand access to reproductive health services, including medication abortion.

Key Takeaways:

• The executive order instructs the Department of Health and Human Services to protect and expand access to abortion care, including medication approved by the FDA for over 20 years.
• The order tasks the department with expanding access to reproductive health services, including family planning and providers, emergency contraception, and long-acting reversible contraception.
• The administration will increase outreach and public education on abortion and ensure the safety of patients and providers, including mobile clinics sent to borders to provide care for out-of-state patients.
• An advocacy group, All* Above All, said Biden's actions don't go far enough, calling for a declaration of a public health emergency and leasing federal property to abortion providers.
• The attorney general's office will provide assistance to states offering legal protection to out-of-state patients and healthcare providers.
• The administration will convene private attorneys to offer free legal services and encourage representation for patients, providers, and groups providing reproductive services.
• Biden called for the creation of a task force on access to reproductive health care and sought to provide protection to women who travel across state lines for clinical abortion services.
• The executive order was signed on Friday, with Biden calling for Congress to overturn the Supreme Court decision by writing Roe v. Wade into federal law.

Statistics:

• 20 years: The Medication abortion has been approved by the FDA for 20 years.
• 60 votes: The number of votes needed in the Senate to pass most legislation due to the filibuster.
• 30 days: The time frame given to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to submit a report on protecting access to abortion medication and contraception.
• 6 million: The estimated number of women who have been denied reproductive care as a result of the Supreme Court ruling (not mentioned in the article but referenced in an external news outlet).
• 1800s: Biden's comparison of the current state of reproductive rights to the 1800s when women did not have the right to vote.

Sources:

• USA TODAY WASHINGTON
• Washington Post
• National Women's Law Center