Biden signs executive order supporting people traveling out of state for an abortion

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden said "the fight is not over" as he signed a new executive order Wednesday that would support individuals traveling out state for an abortion.

Biden’s executive order directs Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to consider actions that would expand access for individuals seeking reproductive healthcare services, including expanding Medicaid to cover travel costs.

However, the executive order will not result in any immediate policies being implemented. And, it's unclear how the Hyde Amendment – a long-standing prohibition on using federal funds for abortion – could interfere with actions as a result of the executive order.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday the actions that HHS comes up with will not violate the Hyde Amendment. "The Hyde Amendment is law and we're going to follow that law."

The action comes after the Supreme Court in June issued a ruling that overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade, which established a constitutional right to abortion.

During the signing Wednesday, Biden applauded Kansas voters for rejecting an amendment that would have allowed the Republican-controlled state Legislature to put new restrictions on the procedure or prohibit it entirely. He also praised the Justice Department for suing the state of Idaho for a near-total ban on abortion.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris also convened the first interagency task force on reproductive healthcare access along with Becerra and Jennifer Klein, director of the White House Gender Policy Council.

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The executive order stops far short of a public health emergency, something that pro-abortion advocates and some Democrats and progressives have been advocating for.

Last month, Biden moved to protect access to medication and make legal representation available to women who travel out of state for an abortion. The Biden administration also warned pharmacists they are at risk of violating federal civil rights laws if they deny filling prescriptions to medications that could be used for abortions.

Reach Rebecca Morin at Twitter @RebeccaMorin_

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden abortion executive order: Support for those going out of state