Topline
President Joe Biden will sign an executive order at the White House on Friday to strengthen access to birth control announcedpart of an effort to protect reproductive rights a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade as abortion restrictions rise and Republican lawmakers set their sights on restricting birth control.
Joe Biden will sign an executive order to boost access to birth control.
Main facts
The executive order, issued On Friday morning, federal agencies directed to develop policies that will lower the cost of contraception and protect and improve access to it.
Private health insurance companies could be created to cover the cost of contraceptives and streamline the process of obtaining care, under new guidelines being considered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Treasury and the Department of Labor.
Agencies will also be instructed to consider how to increase access to affordable over-the-counter contraception, including emergency contraception, which the White House said could include convening pharmacies, employers and insurers to discuss the issue.
Biden’s order will also urge agencies to strengthen access to birth control for people in the federal health care system, including veterans, federal employees and their families.
Contraception as “an essential part of reproductive health care that has only grown in importance in the wake” of the Supreme Court’s overturn of the constitutional right to abortion last year and “the ensuing crisis in women’s access to health care,” the White House said.
The White House is focusing on three goals: “Increased and expanded birth control options,” “reduced out-of-pocket costs,” and “raising awareness about what options are available,” Jen Klein, White House director of gender policy, said.
What we don’t know
The order focused more on outcomes than the specific actions agencies would need to take to achieve them. It is unclear how and when the order will be executed. The order also did not specify a timeline for agencies to comply.
Crucial quote
“President Biden and Vice President Harris stand with the majority of Americans who believe the right to choose is fundamental,” the White House said in a statement. rackadding that “the only way to ensure that women in every state have access to abortion is for Congress to pass a law that protects the Roe against Wade.” Since Roe was overturned, the executive has urged Congress to codify abortion protections into federal law.
News Peg
The order comes a day before the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s overthrow Roe against Wade, the landmark ruling that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion in the US for decades. In the wake of the court’s ruling, many states rushed to introduce restrictions on abortion. Abortion is now effectively banned in nearly a third of the states and lawmakers have since set their sights on drugs used in the procedure and birth control. Medical experts say abortion is a valid and necessary medical procedure and highlight the medical and social dangers of limited access, burdens that disproportionately affect poorer people and people of color. Domino effects include limiting access to obstetric and gynecological specialists and care in states that restrict access to abortion, having a harder time training new clinicians in these specialties, and difficulty accessing multi-drug medications. applications, such as mifepristone, because of abortion-related prohibitions. Polls suggest access to abortion is overwhelming supported by most Americans, albeit sometimes with limitations, but also broadly access to contraception.
Large number
23 million. That’s how many women of childbearing age live in one of the 18 states that currently have an abortion ban. according to to the White House. The figure represents about a third of women of childbearing age living in the US
Read further
The Supreme Court ruling shows that the legal right to contraception is also under threat (Wapo)