US President Biden Signs New Executive Order To Ensure Access To Abortion

Biden signed the order at the inaugural meeting of the administration's Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access

Biden signs executive order on abortion access

(Photo: File Photo)

United States President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday, 3 August, to enable women in the country to access abortion after the US Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion earlier in the summer.

The Executive Order will help women to travel out of state in order to receive abortions. It will also ensure that health care providers can follow the federal law so that women can get timely care, Biden said.

According to the US President, the order advances research and data collection "to evaluate the impact that this reproductive health crisis is having on maternal health and other health conditions and outcomes."

This executive order was signed during the inaugural meeting of the Biden administration's Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access, which consists of representatives from several departments from across the federal government.

"Emergency medical care being denied to women experiencing miscarriages, doctors uncertain about what they can do to provide for their patients, pharmacists unsure whether they can fill prescriptions that they've always filled before, a tragic case of rape survivors, including a 10-year-old girl forced to travel to another state for care."

Joe Biden, US President.

This is the second executive order signed by Biden since the time that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

In July, Biden signed an order that would protect the access to abortion care and contraceptives, protect patient privacy and establish an interagency task force to use.

The executive order comes just a day after voters in the state of Kansas defeated a measure that would have allowed the GOP-led state legislature to implement new restrictions that would prevent women from having access to abortion procedures.

The White House celebrated this victory for abortion-rights advocates.

"In a decisive victory, voters made it clear that politicians should not interfere with the fundamental rights of women. And the voters of Kansas sent a powerful signal that this fall the American people will vote to preserve and protect the right and refuse to let them be ripped away by politicians. And, my administration has their back."

Joe Biden, US President.

(With inputs from CNN, The Washington Post, CNN Politics)