The Biden administration is debating whether or not to declare an emergency. Such a declaration from the sitting administration would increase the availability of abortion services. President Biden is considering restrictions on abortion as a public health emergency. After the Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade, President Joe Biden is considering declaring a public health emergency to increase access to abortion. However, some White House officials have expressed concern that this is not the best way to assist women facing unplanned pregnancies.
There is growing pressure in Congress for the administration to take action. In a letter sent this week, more than 80 Democrats in the House urged Biden and Xavier Becerra, Health and Human Services Secretary, urging the use of emergency public health powers to deal with what they called “a full-scale reproductive health crisis across our nation” that “threatens the lives of patients.”
President Biden told reporters on Sunday that he has spoken with U.S. health professionals to determine whether the administration could declare a public health emergency to safeguard access to abortion and the potential consequences of doing so. White House director of gender policy, Jen Klein, has stated that the administration has not used these capabilities because they would not provide much additional legal or financial power to address abortion availability.
The public health emergency investigation taught us a few things. One issue is that it doesn’t free up any significant funds. Klein told reporters on Friday that the tens of thousands of dollars are in the public health emergency fund. Therefore, that seemed like a poor choice. Additionally, it does not delegate a great deal of legal power. That’s why they haven’t done what the democrats suggested.
But the country’s most prominent reproductive rights organizations are demanding that the White House do all in its power to protect women’s access to abortion. Planned Parenthood stated to CNBC that an emergency should be declared by the Biden administration immediately.
Axios claims the statement would increase access to abortion resources. Since the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade last summer, removing the constitutional right to abortion, Democrat lawmakers and pro-abortion supporters have been pressuring President Biden and his administration’s Department of Health and Human Services to issue such a pronouncement.
To preserve people’s rights, discussions are taking place on a wide variety of measures, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told Axios.
Before a public health emergency can be declared, several conditions must be met. Normally, scientists and other experts in the area will determine whether or not an emergency exists, and then one may issue a proclamation based on their findings.”
But he said a “full evaluation” of what such a statement would entail has already been conducted. He did not provide further details.
Although there are legal and political dangers associated with using emergency powers to defend abortion rights, Arizona State University’s James Hodge, one of the country’s foremost authorities on public health law, disagreed with White House officials about declaring an emergency.