The order pushes back limits on women’s access to federally approved abortion medication and services
PROSPECT HEIGHTS — President Joe Biden signed an executive order formalizing instructions to the Department of Justice and Health and Human Services protecting abortion access, just two weeks after the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to the procedure.
“The fastest way to restore Roe is to pass a national law,” Biden said on July 8. “The challenge is, go out and vote.”
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.
It formalizes the actions I announced right after the decision and will add new measures to protect women's health. pic.twitter.com/cujWTnxKvw
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 8, 2022
The order extends to other governmental bodies including the Federal Trade Commission. Biden is asking the FTC to take steps that will protect the privacy of those seeking an abortion online in addition to establishing an “interagency task force” to safeguard abortion access.
“The Biden Administration is obsessed with increasing abortion in America,” Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford said in a statement that he and other Republican senators introduced to block the executive order.
Biden’s order also intends to mitigate potential penalties women would face if they seek an abortion. It will also direct agencies to work to educate medical providers and insurers on how and when they’re required to share patient information with authorities.
The White House also said it would assign volunteer lawyers who could provide women and providers with pro-bono legal assistance in order to navigate the new state restrictions.
“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,” the White House said. “Until then, he has committed to doing everything in his power to defend reproductive rights and protect access to safe and legal abortion.”
While the Biden Administration takes action to safeguard abortion access and care, New York Catholic bishops have spoken out about the responsibility of the pro-life community to build “a culture of life.”
“Building a culture of life is not solely the responsibility of the government,” the bishops said in a statement. “All of us need to respect the dignity and sanctity of human life in everything we do: in how we treat our children, spouses, and parents; in the way we behave in our place of work; in sum, how we live Jesus’ two great commandments to love God and love our neighbor.”