Two weeks ago, the United States Supreme Court stunned the nation, and the world, by issuing a decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated a woman’s Constitutional right to choose. For 50 years a woman could make a decision concerning their own reproductive health. Then in the blink of an eye, the high court’s decision expressly took away that right from the American public – a woman’s right to make her own reproductive health care decisions, free from government interference.
Now President Biden has signed an Executive Order protecting access to reproductive health care services.
On Saturday afternoon the President tweeted, “The Constitution protects the right to privacy for all Americans – the right to make private decisions about parenthood, marriage, and family. And despite what those Justices in the majority said, reversing Roe was not a decision driven by history.
This Executive Order signed by the President adds to the actions Biden’s Administration has previously taken to defend a woman’s reproductive rights by:
- Safeguarding access to reproductive health care services, including abortion and contraception;
- Protecting the privacy of patients and their access to accurate information;
- Promoting the safety and security of patients, providers, and clinics; and
- Coordinating the implementation of Federal efforts to protect reproductive rights and access to health care.
Reaction to the President’s Executive Order has come fast and swift from elected officials across the nation. As for New Jersey, some of the reactions were as follows:
U.S. Senator Cory Booker: “This is an important step for safeguarding reproductive rights. We need to deploy every tool available to ensure Americans can continue to access the health care they need.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy: “President Biden’s action today builds upon the work we continue to do in New Jersey to ensure and secure every woman’s access to abortion and reproductive health care services. The President is correct that Congress must act to codify the rights protected for fifty years by Roe in federal law, but absent that action it is up to the states to protect women through our laws and the federal government, as it can through this order, to ensure access and privacy. New Jersey has enshrined the right to seek an abortion in state law, and I just signed new laws to protect any woman who comes to our state seeking abortion care, and also her doctor, from punitive actions by her home state. I am proud to have President Biden standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us in this fight.”
New Jersey Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver: “Thank you @GovMurphy and @POTUS for working together to help ensure women have access to reproductive health in America.”
Before he signed the Executive Order aimed at protecting abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the President urged Americans to vote for pro-abortion-rights candidates in the November midterm elections as the safest way to ensure codification into law the protections once afforded by Roe.
