Biden Says He Is Weighing Health Emergency To Provide Abortion Access
Advocates have urged the president to declare a public health emergency so that some federal resources would become available to women seeking abortion, but administration officials have raised doubts about whether such an order would be legal or effective.
AP:
Biden Says He's Mulling Health Emergency For Abortion Access
President Joe Biden said Sunday he is considering declaring a public health emergency to free up federal resources to promote abortion access even though the White House has said it doesn’t seem like “a great option.” He also offered a message to people enraged by the Supreme Court’s ruling last month that ended a constitutional right to abortion and who have been demonstrating across the country: “Keep protesting. Keep making your point. It’s critically important.” (Fingerhut, 7/10)
Roll Call:
Biden Issues Executive Order Responding To Abortion Ruling
The White House on Friday announced a wide-ranging executive order aimed at protecting abortion rights — its most significant response to a recent Supreme Court decision overturning long-standing precedent guaranteeing the right to an abortion nationwide since the high court made the ruling two weeks ago. ... The multipronged order would mainly focus on actions to be taken through the Department of Health and Human Services. Specifically, Biden would instruct HHS to take additional actions to expand access to medication abortion, a two-pill regimen used to end pregnancies before 10 weeks — building on actions Becerra announced last week. ... It would also direct HHS to take actions to protect all forms of contraception, including emergency contraception and long-acting reversible contraception like intrauterine devices, or IUDs.(Raman, 7/8)
CBS News:
Vice President Kamala Harris Stresses Need For "Pro-Choice Congress" To Protect Abortion Rights
Vice President Kamala Harris underscored the importance of voters casting their ballots in the November midterm elections for a "pro-choice Congress" that will enshrine the right to an abortion into law after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In an interview with "Face the Nation" that aired Sunday, Harris said the ruling from the high court last month cleared the way for states to enact new laws restricting or outright banning abortion. (Quinn, 7/10)
The Washington Post:
Inside The White House Struggle To Respond To The Abortion Ruling
To many increasingly frustrated Democrats, Biden’s slow-footed response on abortion was just the latest example of a failure to meet the moment on a wave of conservative rollbacks, from gun control to environmental protections to voting rights. ... This account of the administration’s 14-day struggle to craft a message and policy plan after the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is based on interviews with 26 senior White House officials, Democratic lawmakers, abortion rights activists, Democratic strategists and other Biden allies, many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to share candid details. (Parker, Abutaleb and Pager, 7/9)
In related news from the Biden administration—
Politico:
Dwindling Reproductive Rights Is "Single-Biggest Issue" For Economy, Commerce Secretary Says
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Sunday explained that while she isn’t too worried about the overall health of the economy, she does have a bone to pick on one particular issue: women’s access to participating in the workforce. “If you’re serious about the labor shortage, lean in to making sure women can fully participate,” she said in an interview on “Meet the Press.” (Connell-Bryan, 7/10)
