With Vice President Kamala Harris and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at his side, President Joe Biden on Friday signed an executive order aimed to protect access to abortion and reproductive healthcare.
President Joe Biden on Friday signed an executive order aimed to protect access to abortion and reproductive healthcare. His decision came in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, which ended a constitutional right to abortion two weeks ago.
"This was not a decision driven by the Constitution, and despite what those justices in the majority said, this was not a decision driven by history," Biden said at the White House Friday. Vice President Kamala Harris and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra stood by his side as he spoke.
"This decision affects everyone, unrelated to choice, beyond choice," Biden said. "We cannot allow an out-of-control Supreme Court, working in conjunction with extremist elements of the Republican Party, to take away freedoms and our personal autonomy."
Biden's executive order protects access to contraception and will expand access to free contraception, he said.
The order also calls on the Justice Department to do everything possible to protect those seeking abortion, including protecting a person's right to cross state lines in seeking an abortion, as well as to protect access to medication abortion, or abortion pills that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The HHS has also been tasked to ensure emergency medical care is available for anyone who needs it, which could include updating regulations surrounding the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
Agencies have also been directed to educate medical providers and insurers about sharing privileged patient information with authorities, including how and when they are required to do so. The directive comes as the Biden administration seeks to protect women seeking out or undergoing abortions. The Federal Trade Commission has been asked to work to protect data privacy of those researching abortion and other reproductive services online.
"The choice we face as a nation is between the mainstream and the extreme, between moving forward and moving backwards, between allowing politicians to enter the most personal parts of our lives and protecting the right to privacy — yes, yes — embedded in our Constitution," Biden said.
Biden had previously spoken about his limitations around safeguarding access to abortion but has also faced mounting pressure from Democrats to be more forceful on the issue.
“President Biden has made clear that the only way to secure a woman’s right to choose is for Congress to restore the protections of Roe as federal law,” read a statement from the White House released ahead of the signing of the executive order. “Until then, he has committed to doing everything in his power to defend reproductive rights and protect access to safe and legal abortion.”
On Friday Biden also urged voters, especially women, to take to the polls in November.
"We need two additional pro-choice senators and a pro-choice House to codify Roe as federal law," Biden said. "Your vote can make that a reality.
"I know it’s frustrating and it made a lot of people very angry," he continued. "But the truth is this — and it’s not just me saying it; it’s what the Court said: When you read the decision, the Court has made clear it will not protect the rights of women. Period."
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