Joe Biden is expected to sign a highly anticipated executive order the White House is promising will protect access to reproductive healthcare services, including abortion and contraception, two weeks after the reversal of Roe V Wade. It is Biden’s first-ever move to protect the killing of unborn babies.
According to a Fact Sheet from the White House, “Biden has made clear that the only way to secure a woman’s right to choose is for Congress to restore the protections of Roe as federal law. Until then, he has committed to doing everything in his power to defend reproductive rights and protect access to safe and legal abortion.”
As part of the order, Biden will direct Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to secure the availability of medication abortion, emergency contraception, and intrauterine devices through Obamacare and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Biden will also order Becerra to clarify physician responsibilities and protections under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.
According to the White House, Attorney General Merrick Garland plans to convene private pro bono attorneys, bar associations, and public interest organizations as legal resources for patients, providers, and third parties.
“Such representation could include protecting the right to travel out of state to seek medical care,” the White House said.
The executive order will also address patient privacy concerns, including health-related data transfers, sales, and reproductive health digital surveillance. It aims to reduce the risk of inaccurate information, fraudulent schemes, and deceptive practices.
HHS will issue new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act guidance and consumer advice on safeguarding personal data saved on mobile apps.
The framework, too, will seek to ensure patient, provider, and third-party safety. The fact sheet says, “The Administration will ensure the safety of patients, providers, and third parties, and to protect the security of other entities that are providing, dispensing, or delivering reproductive health care services. This charge includes efforts to protect mobile clinics, which have been deployed to borders to offer care for out-of-state patients.”