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As the nation continues to watch the US Supreme Court reverse Roe v. Wade, several Texas Democrats and abortion advocates called on the Biden administration to take immediate action to protect Texans’ access to abortion.
First on their list of requests in a letter to the White House was for President Joe Biden to declare a public emergency to ensure that health care providers can dispense abortion pills without interruption.
“President Biden can provide a lot of help by making sure that you can see a health care provider, call them, talk to them over the phone, and then get an abortion with medication that is sent by mail in the state from the state where the abortion comes from. At this point it is not banned,” said Greg. Casar, a Democratic representative to Congress. He was among the group that started the process in Dallas, where the state Democrats hold their convention. More than 50 state and federal lawmakers, candidates and abortion advocacy groups signed the letter to the White House.
Also included in the letter were requests to fund abortions nationwide, increase legal protections for health care providers, implement a plan to increase the distribution of abortion pills, and request federal enforcement of federal laws that conflict with the Food and Drug Administration. A government-sanctioned plan for medical abortion.
Since the Supreme Court’s decision, Mr. Biden has talked about federal reforms to end access to abortion. He also said he supports changes to the US Senate’s filibuster rules to help move legal abortion laws. Its administration also issued a directive that doctors can perform emergency abortions — that directive is now the subject of a lawsuit by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. On Friday, the US Congress passed a law protecting the right of a person to travel abroad for an abortion.
Texas Republican lawmakers have said that even Roe v. After Wade’s conversion, he still has work to do. They have cited a strong interest in improving state birth control programs and protecting Texans who expect to leave the state for abortions.
Asked by Biden to declare a public emergency to protect providers who distribute abortion pills via telehealth, Texas Democrats and abortion rights activists said Biden could extend the state’s ban on the drug after 7 weeks of pregnancy by invoking the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act. . .
The letter also asked for funding for out-of-state abortions and health care organizations that can provide abortions to Texas residents. Democratic leaders established a program in which government employees could volunteer to provide abortion pills. “Because they are government employees or government contractors, when they choose to do this work, they will not be subject to government charges,” said Casar on Saturday.
The end of Roe v. Wade has left Texans in a precarious position because of the state’s confusing reproductive health laws. The abortion fund project, which helps people pay for abortions, has stalled both inside and outside the government. Medical professionals have also expressed confusion over the treatment they can provide, which experts say can lead to patients being turned away or receiving treatment too late.
Caroline Duble, political director of Avow Texas, an abortion rights group, called for Biden’s support for abortion as a last resort for those who cannot leave the state. “The people of Texas and across the country will continue to demand and chase abortions, which under these policies will result in the criminalization and surveillance of pregnant women,” he said. “As most estimates show, this will hit black and Indian communities, undocumented immigrants, low-income families, young Texans and queer and transgender people the hardest.”
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