The president of the United States, Joe Biden, has signed an executive order this Friday to defend abortion for American women, two weeks after the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade that protected for the first time and since 1973 this right without restrictions during the first trimester of pregnancy.
“This is not an imaginary horror. It is already happening,” he said in relation to the Supreme Court ruling and that it has also been received by the states governed by the Republican Party, which had previously maneuvered to make it difficult for women to freely access to this right. Accompanied by the Vice President, Kamala Harris and the Secretary of Health, Xavier Becerra, Biden has described that failure as “extreme” and “totally wrong” and has related the recent episode of a 10-year-old girl who was forced to travel outside the state of Indiana to have an abortion after being the victim of rape.
“A 10-year-old girl was a victim of rape, 10 years old, and was forced to have to travel out of state to Indiana to try to end the pregnancy and maybe save her life. Imagine being that girl. I’m serious, imagine being that girl. 10 years!“, Biden emphasized during the act of signing the decree. In recent weeks, President Biden has faced strong pressure from civil society groups and sectors of his Democratic Party to take more forceful measures to protect abortion law, especially after the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States.
The order urges the Department of Health to take measures to guarantee access to abortion medication, seeks to increase the protection of health workers who carry out these practices within the framework of the Law of Work and Emergency Medical Treatment, as well as the privacy of the patients and strengthen awareness campaigns in public centers. However, the measure does not include some proposals such as that of the Democratic governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, to be able to legally transport the abortion pill across the border of the United States and Canada, or that of allow abortions on federal government property within those states where this right is prohibited.
Biden has recognized that he cannot do anything to restore the right to abortion throughout the country after the Supreme Court ruling, for which he has asked citizens to elect members of Congress in the mid-term elections who have spoken out in favor of supporting federal laws that shield it. By removing the character of constitutional right, the Supreme Court ruling gives states free rein to enforce its ban, amid a dispute over a 2018 law passed by the Mississippi Republican legislature to ban abortions after 15 weeks.
Source: Lasexta
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
