The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced actions it will take in response to a recent Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said the department is exploring every legally available step they can take to protect family planning care, emergency contraceptives, and long-acting contraceptives, such as IUDs.
Becerra didn’t hide his contempt for the Court’s landmark ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, calling it “despicable.” He noted that the decicison — which does not ban abortion at the federal level, but simply returns the issue to states — was not unexpected and said that HHS began planning months ago by launching a reproductive access task force.
“There is no magic bullet, but if there is something we can do, we will find it and we will do it at HHS,” he told reporters.
He also said that pressure for HHS to act in the wake of the Dobbs decision came directly from President Biden.
“We will also work with the attorney general and the department of justice as they work to ensure that states may not ban medication abortion based on a disagreement with the FDA's expert judgment about the drug's safety and efficacy,” Bacerra stated. “And we will issue guidance to providers to ensure they receive accurate and robust information on medication abortion.”
Democrats recently called for abortions on federal lands to circumvent red state restrictions. But, Becerra said in the press conference that the administration has not made any decision yet.
“We will take a look at everything we can, and everything we do will be in compliance with the law,” he said.
Becerra was asked by a reporter about medication abortion pills and whether red state bans on them are a violation of federal law. He did not commit to whether or not abortion pills would be allowed to be mailed to women within red states from outside of red states, but reiterated that all decision making would be in compliance with the law.
“We will also work with the attorney general and the department of justice as they work to ensure that states may not ban medication abortion based on a disagreement with the FDA's expert judgment about the drug's safety and efficacy,” Becerra said. "And we will issue guidance to providers to ensure they receive accurate and robust information on medication abortion.”
