President Biden signed an executive order aimed to protect access to abortions. However, the protection to that access is very limited. This executive order comes at a time when states like Alabama, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and West Virginia have already banned abortion. Biden estimates that a dozen more will ban abortion in the coming weeks.
The Biden administration also announced that federal law preempts state abortion bans when emergency care is needed, and that the federal government can penalize institutions and providers that fail to provide abortions as needed in medical emergency situations.
Biden’s executive order will expand access to emergency contraception like IUDs as well as ensuring that the medication used to end early pregnancies cannot be banned across states. Outreach for public education on the topic of abortion will not only be increased, but the protection of privacy for those seeking information on abortion will also be established. The Biden administration aims to do this by teaching patients how to protect their information from mobile apps and using HIPAA to clarify that, in most instances, medical professionals can’t share a patient’s private information with law enforcement.
The most crucial actions taken in the executive order are setting up and protecting mobile clinics near the borders of states that have banned abortion. The executive order includes setting up a counsel of pro-bono lawyers and organizations to represent people seeking out-of-state abortions and the providers of those abortions.
Biden recognizes that the executive order is a limited effort, and what would truly protect people’s reproductive rights is codifying Roe v. Wade.
“President Biden’s executive order is a necessary step to protect the health of Americans and to stem the constant state-level attacks on our bodies and our right to access life-saving medical care. Congress needs to also urgently act by restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade as federal law, as well as passing the Equality Act and codifying decisions like Griswold v. Connecticut, Lawrence v. Texas, and Obergefell v. Hodges,” says Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD president and CEO.
However, the executive order failed from keeping more states from banning abortion. It also neglected to declare this a public health emergency given how many people have been affected by these bans. The executive order may be a good start, but it is leaving so much work to be done.
Screenshot provided by CNN
