Biden mulls drastic abortion move
Voters urged to elect pro-choice legislators in midterms
US President Joe Biden on Sunday said he has asked his administration to consider whether he has authority to declare an abortion-related public health emergency after the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
The comments come after Biden on Friday signed an executive order to ease access to services to terminate pregnancies.
Biden was on his way to a bike ride near his residence in Delaware when he stopped to speak to reporters, who asked if he was considering declaring a public health emergency regarding abortion access. The president responded that he was asking his staff to see "whether I have the authority" and what the impacts would be.
Biden, a Democrat, has been under pressure from his own party to take action after the landmark decision last month to overturn Roe v. Wade, which upended roughly 50 years of protections for women's reproductive rights.
On his stop to speak with reporters, Biden said his goal was to codify abortion rights through legislation and delivered a message to abortion rights protesters who have gathered outside the White House.
"Keep protesting. Keep making your point. It's critically important," he said. "We can do a lot of things to accommodate the rights of women."
Biden said Friday that federal legislation offered the fastest route to restoring US abortion rights and urged voters to elect pro-choice legislators in upcoming elections in defiance of an "out of control" Supreme Court.
Under pressure to take a tougher line on defending women's reproductive rights, Biden signed an executive order aimed at shoring up access to abortion after what he described as the court's "terrible, extreme" decision to remove the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy.
But the president, whose room for manoeuvre on the issue is limited, said the most effective response would be made through the ballot box in the November mid-term elections by handing him firm control of the legislature.
"Vote, vote, vote," he said in an appeal particularly aimed at American women.
"The fastest route to restore Roe is to pass a national law codifying Roe, which I will sign immediately upon its passage at my desk. We cannot wait," Biden said, referring to the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established the right to abortion.
If Republicans were to take control of Congress, he also vowed to veto any effort to pass a federal ban on abortion.
The comments come after Biden on Friday signed an executive order to ease access to services to terminate pregnancies.
Biden was on his way to a bike ride near his residence in Delaware when he stopped to speak to reporters, who asked if he was considering declaring a public health emergency regarding abortion access. The president responded that he was asking his staff to see "whether I have the authority" and what the impacts would be.
Biden, a Democrat, has been under pressure from his own party to take action after the landmark decision last month to overturn Roe v. Wade, which upended roughly 50 years of protections for women's reproductive rights.
On his stop to speak with reporters, Biden said his goal was to codify abortion rights through legislation and delivered a message to abortion rights protesters who have gathered outside the White House.
"Keep protesting. Keep making your point. It's critically important," he said. "We can do a lot of things to accommodate the rights of women."
Biden said Friday that federal legislation offered the fastest route to restoring US abortion rights and urged voters to elect pro-choice legislators in upcoming elections in defiance of an "out of control" Supreme Court.
Under pressure to take a tougher line on defending women's reproductive rights, Biden signed an executive order aimed at shoring up access to abortion after what he described as the court's "terrible, extreme" decision to remove the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy.
But the president, whose room for manoeuvre on the issue is limited, said the most effective response would be made through the ballot box in the November mid-term elections by handing him firm control of the legislature.
"Vote, vote, vote," he said in an appeal particularly aimed at American women.
"The fastest route to restore Roe is to pass a national law codifying Roe, which I will sign immediately upon its passage at my desk. We cannot wait," Biden said, referring to the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established the right to abortion.
If Republicans were to take control of Congress, he also vowed to veto any effort to pass a federal ban on abortion.
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