China News Service, July 9 (Xinhua) According to a comprehensive report, the issue of abortion rights is further tearing the United States apart. After the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision in June, US President Biden faced increasing pressure within the Democratic Party to urge He took action to protect abortion rights.
Biden signed an executive order on the 8th local time to strengthen abortion services and criticized the Supreme Court for "out of control" and depriving women of the right to abortion.
On June 24, local time, people in San Francisco gathered in front of City Hall to protest against the Supreme Court's overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liu Guanguan
"This is not a verdict under the Constitution, it's not a verdict driven by history. What we're seeing is a naked exercise of political power," Biden said in a speech at the White House.
Biden said the Supreme Court joined "extremists in the Republican Party" in overturning the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion, giving state governments the power to decide policies that significantly restrict or ban abortion.
He further noted that "the Supreme Court has made it clear that women's rights will not be protected."
Biden said the Supreme Court was effectively challenging the public to vote for candidates in the November election who advocated the inclusion of Roe v. Wade's protections in state law.
He stressed that the fastest way to change the Supreme Court's ruling is to pass a law in Congress legalizing abortion, a move that Democrats currently don't have enough votes to support.
"If you want to change the situation for women -- even little girls -- in this country, get out and vote," Biden urged.
According to reports, Biden's comments on the 8th were his sharpest criticism of the Supreme Court after the decision.
Earlier, some Democrats criticized Biden for not responding more strongly to the Supreme Court's decision on abortion rights.
It is reported that the executive order signed by Biden on the 8th aims to strengthen the supply of contraceptives and abortion pills, as well as strengthen the privacy protection of reproductive health care.
The main content of Biden's executive order is to protect women seeking abortions from sanctions that prohibit abortion laws to a certain extent.
In addition, the executive order requires government departments to let health care providers and insurers know when they are required to share confidential patient information with law enforcement to protect women seeking abortions.
The executive order also calls for volunteer lawyers to provide legal support to women in states that ban abortion.
However, Biden acknowledged that his executive powers are limited, and Congress still needs legislation to restore abortion rights to women in more than a dozen states that prohibit or severely restrict abortion.