Minutes after the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade last summer, a group of West Wing aides rushed to the Oval Office to brief President Biden on the decision. In drafting his speech, Mr. Biden was the first on the spot to say what has become the administration’s watchword ever since.
Jen Klein, director of the White House Council on Gender Policy, told the group that passage of federal legislation “is the only thing that will really restore the rights that have just been taken away.”
But even if a year ago the prospect of codifying Mr. Low’s protection in Congress seemed far-fetched, now that the far-right dominates the House and the Senate has a narrow Democratic majority. , it is almost impossible to imagine.
Instead, as the battle for abortion rights focuses on individual states, Biden administration officials are wrestling with limited tools. presidential decree And it has activated the power of the president to argue that Republicans running for election next year will impose further restrictions on abortion.
“Don’t get me wrong, this election is about the freedom to vote,” Biden said Friday at a Democratic National Committee event, drawing support from several abortion rights groups.
Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the state of North Carolina on Saturday, encouraging Americans to use their votes to defend abortion rights.
In a speech marking the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling stripping constitutional rights to abortion for the first time in almost 50 years, Harris said, “Republican extremists in Congress are proposing to ban abortion across the country. there is,” he said. “But I have news for them. We don’t have it.”
He added, “Until we secure this right for every American, this battle cannot be truly won. Ultimately, Congress must put back in place what the Supreme Court has taken away.” It means it won’t,” he added.
Recalling the fresh look on news websites on the day of last June’s ruling, Ms Klein said she was “shocked, but not surprised” by the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Medical Institute court ruling. .
She added, “Efforts to actually take extreme action do not represent the majority of people’s opinions on this issue.”
The White House argued that Biden was reaching the legal limits of his powers through the president’s actions. On Friday, Dobbs’ latest administrative action in response to his decision directed federal agencies to explore ways to secure and expand access to contraception.
Mr. Biden previously issued a memorandum protecting access to abortion drugs in pharmacies and took steps to protect cross-state patients seeking treatment. The Justice Department has taken legal action against some states restricting abortion. And the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the abortion drug mifepristone was quickly challenged in court. (In April, the Supreme Court issued an order maintaining access to the pill as the lawsuit continues.)
As the White House articulates its message on abortion rights and sets the framework for the fight to uphold privacy, safety and civil rights, so does the president. Biden, a Catholic who attends mass almost every week, Struggled to advocate for abortion rights throughout his career. Since Law was reversed, he has become more outspoken.
“I think he’s someone who really has his own personal point of view, and I’m very clear that the Roe v. Wade decision was done right,” Klein said.
recent votes It shows that the majority of Americans may feel the same way. USA Today/Suffolk University poll A survey earlier this month found that one in four Americans said they were more supportive of abortion rights because of state-level restrictions on abortion bans. .Another poll conducted by PBS NewsHour, NPR, Maristsaid 61 percent of American adults support abortion rights.
Some activists suspect that some Republican presidential candidates are paying attention to the polls. Former Vice President and presidential candidate Mike Pence said Friday he supports a 15-week ban on surgery at the national level. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott also supports such a ban.
Other candidates avoid a final attitude.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban in his statehas not said it supports a nationwide ban.
Mr. DeSantis said on Friday it was “the right thing to do” about signing the legislation.
Republican primary frontrunner and former President Donald J. Trump has been credited with appointing the Supreme Court justice who overturned Roe v. Wade, but so far he has also: resisted acceptance of the federal ban.
As the Republican camp rallies, the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee will make abortion a major focus of their reelection efforts. Earlier this month, the Biden campaign launched an advertising campaign focused on battleground states, including funding a billboard in Times Square highlighting Republican efforts to limit access to abortion.
The Democratic National Committee also said it would help contrast Biden’s approach to extremist stances, urging local Democrats to criticize Republicans for their stance on the nationwide ban, according to DNC officials. It encourages pressure to clarify
Klein said that inside the White House, officials are tracking trials in each state and gathering abortion rights activists to compare memos on which policies have been successful.
Still, activists warn a court victory could be short-lived and won’t remove the widespread threat to ban abortion the way the bill does.
In recent months, government officials have regularly featured stories of women who suffered miscarriages and were denied emergency medical care.
Harris has traveled and spoken several times to advocate for abortion rights, arguing that the decision to terminate a pregnancy is a personal one and should not be at the mercy of local influence. To strengthen, he has frequently featured healthcare providers at his events. politician.
First Lady Jill Biden is also on board with the effort. On Tuesday, she hosted a group of women in the White House’s Blue Room and asked them to share their stories. One of the women, Dr. Austin Dennard, a Texas internist, said she was forced to travel out of state to have an abortion after her unborn child was diagnosed with anencephaly. skull.
Another, a Houston-based Democratic campaigner named Elizabeth Weller, was told to go home until she went into labor at 18 weeks and developed a severe infection until the hospital’s ethics board cleared doctors to abort her pregnancy. instructed.
“Joe is doing the best he can,” the first lady told the group.
Mini Timaraju, president of abortion rights group NARAL Pro Choice America, agreed that the Biden administration was “doing the best it can” but said the limits were real.
“We have to give them a majority vote,” she said. “That’s it. They’ve been doing the best they can, but without Congress’ help, they’re limited, and we’re limited in what we can do.”
