TE24 International Desk:
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday to ensure access to abortion. It follows a Supreme Court decision earlier this summer to strip constitutional rights.
The president said the order would help women travel out of state for abortions, ensure health care providers follow federal laws to keep women’s treatment on track, and help address this reproductive health crisis.
Biden spoke of “confusion and uncertainty” following the Supreme Court ruling, saying women’s health and lives are at risk.
Women who miscarry in emergency rooms are denied treatment, doctors are unsure of what to do to care for the patient, pharmacists are unsure if they can fill prescriptions, and prescriptions are the ones I’ve always filled for a 10-year-old girl. Those who were forced to go to other states for care,” Biden said, as lawmakers hammered out new restrictions at the White House.
The decisive victory made it clear to voters that politicians should not interfere with women’s fundamental rights. “And my administration is behind them.
Biden said he signed the executive order at the first meeting of the government’s recently established task force on access to reproductive health care, made up of representatives from multiple branches of the federal government. Ministers report to the President on the steps taken by their respective agencies to protect reproductive rights.
The order directed Health and Human Services Secretary Javier Becerra to “ensure that women have prompt access to medical care.” , consider all appropriate steps to ensure that health care providers comply with federal nondiscrimination laws.” A patchwork of state legal restrictions on abortion care followed the Supreme Court ruling.
Last month, CNN reported that doctors are struggling to navigate byzantine guidelines as states across the country enact stricter abortion restrictions. What should be done is in the text of the law.
Wednesday’s order also directed HHS to consider steps to allow women who travel across state lines for abortions to access medical services such as Medicaid. Last month, a bill guaranteeing women the right to travel across state lines for an abortion passed the Senate after Republicans blocked the bill.
According to a senior administration official, it would allow states to provide out-of-state care for abortion patients through a Medicaid 1115 waiver, allowing states to cover “certain costs” and waive some state-based requirements on providing assistance.
The executive order directs HHS to expand research efforts on maternal health data to accurately measure the impact on women’s health of reduced access to reproductive health care services, officials said Tuesday.
Pressed Wednesday about how the president’s executive order on reproductive care circumvents the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions, White House press secretary Karin Jean Pierre said the Department of Health and Human Services would come. Details of how they will work with states to provide care through Medicaid waivers.
So, as you know, Medicaid provides comprehensive health care to low-income women, including family planning services such as contraception, non-emergency medical care, transportation, and support services such as targeted case management, which allows health care providers to help patients coordinate their care. , Jean-Pierre told CNN’s MJ Lee. And that includes abortion care in certain circumstances, such as those adopted by the Hyde Amendment, which are rape, torture, and the life of the mother.
The executive order, Jean-Pierre Lee said, would cover care that would otherwise be part of Medicaid, including non-emergency medical trips and other health care services. He added, Hyde Amendment Act and we are going to, we will follow that Act.
Wednesday’s executive order is the second signed by Biden in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Biden last month launched an interagency initiative to use all available federal tools to protect access to abortion care and contraception, protect patient privacy and protect access to reproductive health care. Signed an executive order that would create a task force.
