President Joe
Biden signed
an executive order to protect access to abortion after the U.S.
Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two weeks ago.
Biden, joined
by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of Health and Human Services
Xavier Becerra said in remarks on Friday that the court’s decision was “totally
wrong.”
“What we’re
witnessing wasn’t a constitutional judgment, it was an exercise in raw
political power,” he said, adding that the impact was beyond only Roe, but
targeted the right to privacy. “Marriage equality. Contraception. So much more
is at risk. This decision affects everyone.”
The order
looks to safeguard abortion access as well as access to contraceptives and
patient privacy. The order will also set up an interagency task force that will
use “every federal tool” to protect access to reproductive care.
Biden acknowledged
that his order could not restore abortion rights in the states that have introduced
strict abortion limits or complete bans on abortion.
"We
cannot allow an out-of-control Supreme Court working in conjunction with
extremist elements in the Republican Party to take away freedoms and our
personal autonomy," Biden said.
He urged
people to go out and vote in the upcoming midterms, saying that electing more
pro-choice lawmakers who would then pass a national law would be the fastest
way to restore abortion rights.
“Vote, vote,
vote,” the president said. “The challenge is go out and vote. For God’s sake,
there is an election in November!”
“This isn't
some imagined horror,” Biden said with emotion. “It is already happening. Just
last week, it was reported that a 10-year-old girl was a rape victim,
10 years old, and she was forced to have to travel out of state to Indiana to
seek to terminate the pregnancy and maybe save her life.”
“Imagine being
that little girl,” he added. “I’m serious — just imagine being that little
girl.”
SOURCE: ADVOCATE
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