White House aides are looking at possible executive actions President Joe Biden can take to help women in Republican-controlled states get abortions in the event the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, according to The New York Times.
Some of the ideas being discussed include declaring a national public health emergency, getting the Justice Department ready to fight against any move by the GOP states to criminalize travel for obtaining abortions and announcing that Food and Drug Administration regulations granting approval to abortion medications override any state attempts to outlaw them, the Times said.
No executive order can reestablish the constitutional right for women to have an abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
Studying the possible legal ramifications of any executive orders on abortions are White House counsel Dana Remus, the director of the gender policy council Jennifer Klein, and the director of the White House domestic policy council Susan Rice.
A draft opinion leaked in early May signaled the majority of the Supreme Court could vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. The possible decision has touched off a political firestorm.
"We are at a crisis moment for abortion access in this country, and officials at all levels of government must respond — including the executive branch," said Marya Torrez, senior director of policy development and strategy at Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
The court is expected to formally rule on the issue in about two weeks, according to the Times.
White House aides tell the newspaper they are concerned the issue could spark a political crisis, including mass protests. Further complicating a potential Supreme Court decision is the fact that it could come while Biden is attending the Group of 7 summit in the Europe.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.