The White House says it’s working with a “broad range of groups” to try to ensure abortions continue to be legal across the United States.
This comes after a draft majority Supreme Court opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked on Monday.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday that the Biden administration is working to see “what levers we have in government” to respond if the 1973 decision that made abortion legal throughout the country is, in fact, overturned by the Supreme Court.
“What our effort and our focus is on is on broadly engaging about the specifics on possible actions and preparing for the release of a final opinion,” said Psaki, noting the release is expected early this summer.
Psaki said the White House Gender Policy Council is leading the charge, working with pro-abortion activist groups, private businesses, as well as officials in state and federal government to see what options the administration has if Roe is overturned, and states were able to make their own decisions regarding abortion access.
The outgoing press secretary also noted recent developments in state legislatures.
Psaki points to President Joe Biden’s “whole of government” response to oppose a new law in Texas banning most abortions, and Biden’s support of a new law signed by Connecticut Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday meant to allow women to get an abortion in Connecticut if they’ve been denied in another state.
“Obviously, our preference would be for Congress to codify Roe and, of course, for the final opinion not to look like the leaked opinion,” Psaki added.
“But we are also supportive of states. We’re going to work with a broad range of stakeholders as we prepare for a final opinion to be released.”
This comes a day after Psaki avoided condemning the unprecedented Supreme Court leak during a line of questioning at a White House press briefing.
She also did not condemn planned protests at the homes of Supreme Court Justices.
“I don’t have an official U.S. government position on where people protest,” Psaki said Thursday. “I want it—we want it, of course, to be peaceful. And certainly, the president would want people’s privacy to be respected.”
The Supreme Court along with Republican members of Congress have called for the leaker of the draft opinion to be brought forward and face consequences.
John Malcolm, Vice President of the Heritage Foundation’s Institute for Constitutional Government, told The Epoch Times on May 3 that Biden’s authority may be “limited” when it comes to issuing an executive order on abortions, but he added that Biden “might” be able to issue a rule governing what happens on federal properties.
From The Epoch Times
