With an outcry of devastation following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, President Biden signed an executive order to protect access to abortions. The executive order will also protect reproductive healthcare services for individuals who need it most. President Biden was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in making the announcement.
In his speech, President Biden addressed the moral failings of the Supreme Court in making the decision to rollback Roe v. Wade. He stated that the Republican-leaning Justices who voted for the overturn were “playing fast and loose with the facts.” He then gave a hypothetical case scenario in which a woman might need this access to illustrate the detrimental fallout from this decision.
"A patient comes into an emergency room in any state in the union, she is … experiencing a life-threatening miscarriage, but the doctor is going to be so concerned about being criminalized for treating her they delay treatment to call the hospital lawyer, who’s concerned the hospital will be penalized if the doctor provides the life-saving care,” supposed Biden.
Many political leaders and entities across the country have spoken out and put pressure on the President to take strong action in response to the Supreme Court's decision. The rollback of Roe v. Wade will undoubtedly disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities due to the historic disenfranchisement of their communities.
Although he cannot completely restore state mandates on abortion access, President Biden urged the American people to vote for elected officials who would be pro-choice during the November midterm elections. While Biden is being applauded for his actions on Friday toward abortion rights, Democrats are imploring the president to do more.
