United States President Joe Biden vows to veto attempts to make abortion illegal in the country after the Supreme Court's extreme decision to overturn Roe v. Wade using a new executive order and commitment to doing more.
The executive order that the Democratic leader signed on Friday is dedicated to protecting women's abortion rights and follows calls from lawmakers from the left and advocates. The order directs several federal agencies to take action on abortion. It has been described by some legal experts and activists as a crucial first step but argue that it falls short of what many previously called for.
Biden Supports Abortion
In a statement, health law professor Lawrence Gostin from Georgetown University said that nothing in Biden's executive order will fundamentally change the everyday lives of poor women in a red state.
This Court has made it clear it will not protect the rights of women.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 8, 2022
I will. That’s why today I'm signing an Executive Order to protect access to reproductive health care.
But the Democratic leader's order indicates progress and emphasizes the White House's support for protecting access to medication abortion, defending access to contraception, and guaranteeing a patient's right to emergency medical services.
Today I signed an Executive Order to protect the reproductive rights of women in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's extreme decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 8, 2022
It formalizes the actions I announced right after the decision and will add new measures to protect women's health. pic.twitter.com/cujWTnxKvw
Furthermore, the order addresses some of the concerns that progressive lawmakers and abortion rights activists had about Biden's initial response. It also sends a message about how seriously the Biden administration is taking the issue, as per Vox.
(RT) UF YOU AGREE 👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/7pfhiY9jeM
— @Chicago1Ray 🇺🇸 (@Chicago1Ray) July 8, 2022
The U.S. president criticized the Supreme Court for its decision and called it "out of control" as he was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Health Secretary Xavier Becerra. He rebuked the conservative majority on the court for stripping U.S. citizens of their fundamental rights that he argued were protected by the Constitution.
Speaking from the White House, Biden said that they cannot allow the nation's highest court, working in conjunction with extremist elements of the Republican Party, to take away freedoms and "our personal autonomy."
According to CNBC, the U.S. president also called out Justice Clarence Thomas' comments in a concurring opinion overturning Roe v. Wade that invited challenges to past rulings on contraceptive access, gay marriage, and other issues.
Supreme Court's Decision
Biden blasted the Supreme Court by asking what century they were living in as he committed to vetoing any future Republican-led effort to ban abortion in the country. The Affordable Care Act guarantees women free birth control and contraceptive counseling.
The president also ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a report within the next month detailing actions to safeguard medication abortion, ensure access to emergency contraception and IUDs, and bulk up reproductive education.
The instructions direct HHS to take steps to protect access to abortion pills, though it is unclear what exactly the federal government plans to do moving forward. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the abortion pill, mifepristone, more than two decades ago as a safe and effective way to end a pregnancy before the 10th week.
The Biden administration will also convene volunteer lawyers to "encourage robust legal representation of patients, providers, and third parties lawfully seeking or offering reproductive health care services through the United States. That representation could potentially include helping to protect a patient's right to travel to another state to get an abortion, Axios reported.
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