'Women's Equality Day' at White House focuses on abortion rights

'Women's Equality Day' at White House focuses on abortion rights
By Alexandra Alper and Nandita Bose



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FILE PHOTO - Abortion rights demonstrators protest outside the Senate chambers shortly before the vote to accept Senate Bill 1 which was passed by the house earlier in the day, making the Indiana legislature the first in the nation to restrict abortions, in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. August 5, 2022. REUTERS/Cheney Orr


WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and White House officials marked Women's Equality Day on Friday by meeting state and local leaders to discuss ways to safeguard access to abortion, amid a flurry of legal challenges led by Republicans across the United States. Biden, Gender Policy Council co-head Jen Klein, and intergovernmental affairs director Julie Rodriguez met elected officials from Kansas, New York, Maryland, North Carolina and Delaware and a Texas judge at the White House. "The court got Roe right for nearly 50 years," Biden said, referring to the Roe v. Wade decision that was overturned by the Supreme Court in June. "Congress in my view should codify Roe once and for all, but right now we are short a handful of votes. ... The only way that is gonna happen is if the American people make it happen in November," he said.
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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report, mandated by an executive order signed by Biden, that builds on previously announced measures such as tackling medication abortion and protecting patient privacy. HHS also issued a letter to state governors emphasizing that healthcare providers must offer abortion services if the life of a mother is at risk and that such procedures would be protected under federal law.

The White House recently launched a three-prong push to protect abortion access, first reported by Reuters, that leans on two federal statutes to target states that limit abortion, communicates to voters the impact on women, and accentuates how forced pregnancies harm both women and men. read more
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A new Pew Research Center poll this week showed abortion rocketing up as a priority for Democratic voters — from 46 percent in March to 71 percent today.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/white-house-marks-womens-equality-day-with-abortion-rights-push-2022-08-26/