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President Biden plans to outline further steps aimed at strengthening abortion rights Friday morning, two weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wadeas many Democrats urged him to respond with bolder and more urgent action.
Biden, accompanied by Vice President Harris, plans to deliver a speech from the Roosevelt Room at the White House about his efforts to protect access to reproductive health services.
He also plans to sign an executive order that, according to a statement released late Thursday by the White House, will seek to protect access to abortion drugs and emergency contraception, protect patient privacy and strengthen legal options for those , who seek access to such services.
The order directs Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to submit a report within 30 days that will address many of these issues. Becerra is also charged with finding ways to increase public outreach so that those seeking reproductive health services, including abortion, know how to access them.
As some Democrats grow impatient with Biden, alternative voices are emerging
In a sign of some of the legal battles that could come, Biden is also ordering the attorney general and White House counsel to convene private pro bono lawyers, bar associations and public interest organizations to promote legal representation for those seeking or offer reproductive health services.
“Such representation may include protecting the right to travel out of state to seek medical care,” according to the White House statement.
Legal aid is the main concern among some abortion rights advocates. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) called on the Biden administration Thursday to “pull out all the stops,” citing legal obstacles that could prevent Michigan residents from seeking services in Canada or bringing medicine back across the border .
“At this dangerous, uncertain time for women’s fundamental rights, we must be creative and take bold action,” Whitmer said in a statement accompanying a letter she sent to Biden administration officials. “We must lead.”
Another area Biden’s executive order attempts to address is patient privacy. Biden is asking the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission to consider taking steps to protect the privacy of consumers when they seek information about reproductive health services. HHS will also consider additional actions to prevent the disclosure of patient information.
Biden is also creating an interagency task force on access to reproductive health care that will coordinate across government on other potential policies.
Biden’s action comes two weeks after the Supreme Court struck down five decades of federal abortion rights, and he has faced growing criticism for not responding more urgently.
After Roe was rejected, Democrats have been rolling out a patchwork of countermeasures
White House officials defended his moves, pointing to the initial speech he gave after the decision and saying they were doing as much as they legally could.
But he was accused of not using the moment to galvanize Democrats and not speaking regularly and decisively. Some also said the White House appeared disengaged, despite having plenty of time to craft a plan after a draft Supreme Court ruling leaked nearly two months earlier.
Last week, Biden called for a filibuster repeal to help codify abortion rights, but he has so far resisted other efforts that Democrats have urged him to adopt.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.) pressed Biden to expand the Supreme Court, for example, but he reiterated that he would not consider such a move. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is among those urging him to open federal lands to abortion clinics, a tactic the White House has rejected, saying it could jeopardize the safety of women traveling to the clinics.
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