US President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Friday aimed at strengthening access to contraception, the White House announced, a year after the Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion.
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Last year, the Supreme Court decided to overturn the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade which guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion and left it up to each state to decide.
On the same day, several conservative states banned abortion, forcing clinics to hastily close or relocate to areas where they could still operate.
Friday’s executive order will guarantee access — for women with private health insurance under the “Obamacare” law — to all contraceptives approved by the federal drug agency.
“Last year, women were denied essential medical care to preserve their health and even save their lives,” a White House statement said.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris join the majority of Americans who believe the right to choose is fundamental and who have spoken out at every opportunity since the Supreme Court ruling,” it said. added.
This is Joe Biden’s first executive order to protect and expand access to contraception.
About 20 states, mostly in the South and Midwest, have banned abortion or severely restricted access to it while others, mostly on the coasts, have taken steps to protect it.
According to a study by the Society of Family Planning, the average number of monthly abortions nationwide between July 2022 and March 2023 was 79,031, down 3.3% from April and May 2022, when an average of 81,730 abortions per month were performed.