After more and more Democrats appealed to Biden to more clearly mark his position on the abortion issue, the president has decided to write his second presidential order in an attempt to influence the country's abortion rights. 

Financial support for travel for abortion  

In an earlier order on the topic, earlier in July, Biden directed the Department of Health and Human Services to protect the right to abortion pills and birth control. 

The new executive order directs the Department of Health and Human Services to consider the use of financial resources to support people who travel to another state to have an abortion.

An example of such a means is the state health care insurance program Medicaid, which can grant financial support for various purposes and is freely administered by the states. 

In the order, Biden also calls on the Department of Health to follow the country's non-discrimination laws when receiving people seeking treatment for abortion and for the Department to collect data to measure how maternal health is affected by state abortion laws.

Cannot repeal law  

According to Reuters, Biden's issued presidential orders are expected to have a limited effect on the ability to perform abortions.

According to the American bar association, a presidential order or "executive order" is not a law and does not require approval from Congress.

In other words, it cannot reverse the decision to overturn the "Roe v. Wade" ruling.

Rather, the order functions as a political statement from the president with a call to authorities and ministries on how to interpret or implement a law. 

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After the Supreme Court of the United States decided in June of this year to overturn the historic ruling Roe v. Wade from 1973, several states have strengthened or repealed abortion protection on their own.

Photo: SVT/Reuters

Hear SVT's reporter Axel Rydén summarize the latest twists and turns around the US's abortion law in the clip below.