President Joe Biden said Sunday he is considering declaring a public health emergency to free up federal resources to promote abortion access.
White House officials have, however, said that a public health emergency is not a great option as there is very little money in the fund meant for such an emergency.
The US President also urged women to keep protesting Supreme Court orders banning abortions in the country and reiterated that he lacks the power to force the dozen-plus states with strict restrictions or outright bans on abortion to allow the procedure.
Also watch: Roe V Wade: why Biden assuring women seeking abortion may trigger judicial clash
On Friday, Biden condemned the “extreme” Supreme Court majority that ended a constitutional right to abortion and delivered an impassioned plea for Americans upset by the decision to “vote, vote, vote vote” in November. Under mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to be more forceful in response to the ruling, he signed an executive order to try to protect access to the procedure.
The actions Biden outlined are intended to head off some potential penalties that women seeking abortion may face after the ruling, but his order cannot restore access to abortion in the more than a dozen states where strict limits or total bans have gone into effect. About a dozen more states are set to impose additional restrictions.
with AP inputs