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As the world continues to examine the impact of the US Supreme Court overturning 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 notify public health officials to ensure that telehealth providers are able to provide safe abortions.
“President Biden can provide great support by making sure that you see a health care worker, call them on the phone, talk to them on the phone, and then get an abortion with drugs that are sent by mail in the state from the state where abortion is currently not prohibited,” said Greg Casar, a Democratic congressman. He was part of a group that brought the idea to Dallas, where the Democrats were holding their convention. More than 50 state and federal lawmakers, advocates and abortion advocacy groups signed the letter to the White House.
Also included in that letter were requests to fund abortions nationwide, increase legal protections for reproductive health care providers, initiate a program to increase the distribution of abortion pills, and request federal government oversight of the nation’s anti-Food and Drug laws. Administration-approved medical abortion program.
Since the Supreme Court’s decision, Biden has talked about changes at the federal level to address the issue of abortion. He said he supports changes to the US Senate’s filibusters to help pass legislation allowing abortion rights. His administration also issued guidelines that allow doctors to perform emergency abortions – the guidelines have been the subject of a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. On Friday, the US House passed a bill protecting a person’s right to travel between abortions.
Republican congressmen in Texas said that even Roe v. Wade was overthrown, they still have work to do. He said more attention should be paid to improving the state’s adoption programs and preventing pregnant Texans from traveling abroad for abortions.
In asking Mr. Biden to notify public health officials to protect abortion providers via mobile phones, Texas Democrats and abortion rights advocates said Mr. Biden could override the state’s ban on this treatment after seven weeks of pregnancy by invoking the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act. .
The letter also calls for funding for out-of-state abortions and health care organizations that can provide abortions to Texas residents. Democratic leaders have introduced a program that would allow federal employees to volunteer to provide abortion pills. “Because federal employees or federal contractors, choosing to do this work, they will not be subject to federal charges,” Casar said Saturday.
The end of Roe v. Wade left Texans in a state of uncertainty given the state’s flawed laws surrounding reproductive health. The abortion bill, which helps people pay for abortions, has been in and out of government. Medical professionals have also expressed confusion about how to provide care, which experts say can lead to patients being treated or delayed.
Caroline Duble, political director of Avow Texas, an abortion rights group, called Biden’s support for abortion one of the last viable options for those who cannot afford to leave the country. “The people of Texas and the rest of the country will continue to want and have abortions, which under the current political climate will result in the criminalization and surveillance of pregnant women,” he said. Native people, undocumented people, low-income families, young Texans and queer and trans people. “
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