White House unveils measures to protect abortion access

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden unveiled new measures Tuesday to protect access to abortion, 100 days after the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy, and called on Americans to pressure Congress to pass legislation that would ensure abortion is legal across the United States.

The actions came as reproductive rights have become a central issue in political campaigns across the nation before next month’s midterm elections. Democrats have seized on the court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade to motivate voters to elect lawmakers who will expand abortion rights nationally and block Republicans from imposing further restrictions.

“Right now we’re short a handful of votes,” Biden said as he convened his task force on reproductive health at the White House. “The only way it’s going to happen is if the American people make it happen.”

Biden assailed Republican lawmakers who have been pushing for a national ban on abortion and urged voters to remember what was at stake if Democrats lost control of power in Washington.

“It means that even if you live in a state where extremist Republican officials aren’t running the show, your right to choose will still be at risk,” Biden said.

Most abortions are now banned in at least 14 states, and other states are engaged in legal fights over abortion access. Biden administration officials estimate that nearly 30 million women of reproductive age now live in a state with a ban and that about 22 million women cannot access abortion care after six weeks.

The White House said Tuesday that the Department of Education would issue a reminder to universities that they cannot discriminate against students on the basis of pregnancy, including if one has been terminated.

Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services is announcing $6 million in grants to expand access to family planning clinics that receive Title X federal funding. The White House has asked Congress for an additional $400 million for the clinics.

The White House believes that public sentiment is on its side when it comes to abortion.

A Pew Research Center survey this summer showed that 61% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in most cases,.

The House Democrats’ super PAC is investing heavily in advertisements focused on reproductive rights, including one that dramatizes the consequences of a national abortion ban.