In a move that comes two weeks after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade and in response to criticism that the president wasn’t doing enough, Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Friday that strengthens protections for abortion rights.
The directive will work to increase patient privacy rights while defending access to emergency contraception and abortion medicines.
Additionally, Biden will give the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services orders to fight back against any attempts to restrict women’s access to abortion drugs or their right to travel between states to receive abortion services.
Additionally, the ruling will improve access to legal services for the upcoming struggles for abortion rights.
Vice President Kamala Harris will be by Biden’s side as he signs the document in the Roosevelt Room of the White House later on Friday morning.
Biden has been urged to take executive action since the Supreme Court’s decision on June 24 and has come under fire from some in his own party for not moving more quickly.
The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which protected a woman’s right to an abortion, was overruled by the Supreme Court in the case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
The administration is also keeping up its pressure on Congress to enshrine Roe in the Constitution.
Following the Supreme Court decision, numerous states restricted access to emergency contraception and, in some circumstances, abortion services.
Biden will also order the attorney general and the White House counsel to gather private pro bono lawyers, bar associations, and public interest groups to assist with legal representation in a nod to the court cases that are anticipated to follow.
In the approaching midterm elections, abortion is predicted to be a major topic of discussion.
States are anticipated to be the main theater of the legal conflict.
Last week, Biden met with Democratic governors at the White House to discuss initiatives to defend reproductive rights.
Numerous of them have already acted.
To prevent abortion physicians and patients from being extradited to home states where the procedure is prohibited, the Democratic governors of North Carolina and Colorado have signed executive orders.
Additionally, the governors of Maine and Rhode Island have issued executive orders indicating that they will not assist inquiries against those who seek abortions or the medical professionals who perform them conducted by other states.