Biden to sign order to help safeguard access to abortion

Biden will direct the Health and Human Services Department to take action to protect and expand access to "medication abortion" 

U.S. President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Friday to help safeguard women's access to abortion and contraception after the Supreme Court last month overturned the Roe v Wade decision that legalized abortion, the White House said, Qazet.az reports.

Biden, a Democrat, has been under pressure from supporters, particularly progressives, to take action after the landmark decision, which upended roughly 50 years of protections for women's reproductive rights.

Biden will direct the Health and Human Services Department to take action to protect and expand access to "medication abortion" approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the White House said.

He will also direct the department to ensure women have access to emergency medical care, family planning services, and contraception, including intrauterine devices (IUDs.)

Biden's attorney general and White House counsel will convene pro bono attorneys and other organizations to provide legal counsel for patients seeking an abortion as well as abortion providers.