POTUS and The Fight for Reproductive Freedom
- Paula Rodriguez-Saenz
- Jul 7, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 27, 2022
Two weeks ago, the United States Supreme Court left the world in shock as they overturned a ruling made almost 50 years ago. As the United States was left divided, both sides protesting against or for the decision, it was not long until lawmakers decided to speak against this decision and start planning ways to prevent the ruling from further affecting the women in different states that have already created laws against abortions.
POTUS and The Executive Order
On July 8th, 2022, President Joe Biden (Democrat) signed an “Executive Order Protecting Access to Reproductive Health Care Services” which was recently overturned by the Supreme Court. So, what exactly does this executive order provide? According to the White House, the signing of this order will build on and provide action towards his platform that defends reproductive rights. There are four things that this executive order builds on: “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” (White House).
Aside from those four items that this executive order builds on, President Joe Biden has also asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services for a report on the different efforts to “protect access to medication abortion, ensure emergency medical care, protect access to contraception, launch outreach and public education efforts, and convene volunteer lawyers” (White House). The Executive Order also highlights the importance of protecting patient privacy through different methods. HIPAA, The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a federal law that protects patients’ health information from being disclosed by anyone with access to their medical information. With Roe v. Wade being overturned, many wonder how HIPAA will work in cases of abortion because before privacy on abortion was protected.
The Executive Branch and Political Movements
The Executive Order is a power that is only for the president to use. Since the United States Government is founded on the idea of separation of power and checks and balances, this is one of the checks that the President may use. Since the Supreme Court decision occurred, a lot of people have been looking into ways that the right to reproductive privacy and choice can become a federal law. The White House also came out with a statement that same Friday reiterating the fact that “the only way to secure a woman’s right to choose is for Congress to restore the protections of Roe as federal law”. There is no action that will reverse the effects of overturning which President Biden states during his speech. While the Executive Order was some form of progress for the Pro-Choice movement, CNN noted that the White House has also dismissed many ideas that would protect abortion like “allowing abortion providers to work from a federal property where the procedure is banned”. The press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted that doing this would have negative ramifications.
While the three branches of government in the United States are separated, they each have the ability to make changes through different institutional processes. However, this does not stop citizens from making a change in politics. Through two different movements, Pro-life and Pro-choice, people are organizing events and protests that allow the lawmakers in the United States to listen to their concerns about the political climate of these modern times. While lobbying and contributing to these different organizations might help, the best way is through using your constitutional right to vote.
Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, the events of July 8th will be fundamental to understanding what Congress will do to uphold the decision or use their own lawmaking power to restore the reproductive rights of women. In November, the midterm elections are going to be vital in deciding the future of reproductive rights for women. In this midterm election, all 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats will be up on the ballot to vote for the candidate. Because Congress is split evenly, this midterm election could change the way Congress as an institution works.
How Can You Get Informed
Whether you are part of the pro-life or pro-choice movement or anything in between, it is always important to keep up to date with new developments in the political world. Watching the news is always a great way to get updates on different events like this Executive Order that happened recently. If you want to get more involved by applying your strengths to create change, down below there are links to different organizations for both pro-life and pro-choice movements that you can investigate.
Pro-Life Organizations
Pro-Choice Organizations
Depending on which side of this controversial topic you are on, it is important to always use your right to vote, especially in these midterm elections that are coming up in November. Voting matters so remember to register to vote and go out there and vote for the candidate that will be the delegate for you when it comes to lawmaking.
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