Biden, Harris promote pro-choice efforts on anniversary of Roe vs. Wade

Jan. 22 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris used the 51st anniversary of Roe vs. Wade ruling on Monday to hammer home their pro-choice stance at events in Washington and Wisconsin.

Democrats are seeking to tap a voter base that was energized 19 months ago by the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court decision overturning Roe, which has been cited a prime reason for major Democratic victories in the 2022 mid-term elections, as well as the passage of pro-abortion measures in Kansas and Ohio.

Biden delivered strong remarks about abortion access during an appearance at the fourth meeting of his Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access at the White House.

After noting that the Supreme Court of 1973 recognized a woman's "right to make a deeply personal decision with her doctor, free from the interference of politicians," he said the current Supreme Court "ripped away" that "fundamental right" with its Dobbs decision.

That ruling, he said, robbed Americans of "a right that is vital to a country founded on the idea of freedom."

During the meeting of the task force, its members -- comprised of doctors and Cabinet officials -- gave a progress report on actions taken since Biden signed several executive orders to protect reproductive health care and issued new guidance on a broad range of FDA-approved contraceptives at no cost under the Affordable Care Act.

Meanwhile, Harris kicked off a nationwide tour of political battleground states with a visit to suburban Milwaukee, where she blasted former President Donald Trump and his Republican supporters in Congress for backing anti-abortion Supreme Court judicial nominees.

Trump "intended for them to take your freedoms. And it is a decision he brags about," she told the crowd at a trade union headquarters in Waukesha County, Wis., referring to remarks the former president made on a Fox News town hall this month in which he said he was "proud" to have ended Roe vs. Wade.

"Proud that women across our nation are suffering? Proud that women have been robbed of a fundamental freedom? That doctors could be thrown in prison for caring for patients? That young women today have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers? How dare he," Harris said.

She will host a number of public events that aim to share the stories of real women who've been personally affected by the latest abortion bans, while also highlighting efforts by the Biden administration to protect access to care.

As part of the administration's efforts to preserve abortion access, the HHS is reaching out to private health insurers through a letter reminding them about their responsibility to provide coverage for affordable contraception under federal rules.

The initiative includes ensuring women are educated about their treatment options if they ever experience a miscarriage or other pregnancy-related emergencies.

On Monday, the various Cabinet departments updated Biden on the ongoing progress in implementing a presidential memorandum he signed one year ago to support patients, providers, and pharmacies who wish to legally access, prescribe, or provide medication abortion.

At the time, Biden's order focused on facilitating access to legal abortion medications, such as mifepristone, which is currently under scrutiny in a Supreme Court case challenging the FDA's authority to oversee the approval and regulation of various prescription medicines.

The White House said it has forged hundreds of partnerships over the past year with state-level representatives who've vowed to oppose anti-abortion legislative efforts in 20 states.

New actions also seek to support reproductive healthcare for the nation's active troops and veterans.

As part of the effort, the Department of Justice created a Reproductive Rights Task Force to monitor and evaluate state and local actions that threaten to infringe on federal protections that remain in place despite Roe being struck down.

The actions will seek to support women's ability to travel to abortion-friendly states for necessary care after the Justice Department challenged Alabama's threats to prosecute individuals assisting women in seeking lawful out-of-state abortions.

The DOJ emphasized that these threats infringe on the constitutional right to travel, asserting that states cannot punish third parties for helping women exercise that right.