‘No Magic Bullet’ for Preserving Abortion Access, Biden’s Health Secretary Says

Washington-President Biden’s health minister, faced with criticism from other Democrats, said Tuesday that he has not taken sufficient steps to counter the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade case. He outlined a series of steps his department would take to do so.

Health and Welfare Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters, at the direction of Mr. Biden, that in the case of rape or incest, or the life of his mother is at stake.

At a morning press conference, Mr. Besera said that his department worked with the judiciary department to give women abortion medications (two different medications taken every 24-48 hours and approved during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy). If state law, which states that it will make the drug available in place, contradicts the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to approve the use of the drug and determine that it is safe and effective.

In addition, hospital emergency rooms must comply with federal law that requires the stability of patients experiencing medical emergencies, such as abortion as needed. We also ensure that patient records are private and take steps to prevent state or local officials from identifying women who have had an abortion.

However, these steps may not be sufficiently advanced for progressive Democrats and other reproductive advocates. Some lawmakers, including Senator Alexandria Ocasiocortes of New York and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, will build an abortion clinic on federal land and pay people traveling outside the state to seek abortion. Pressured the administration.

They weren’t among the measures Besera announced on Tuesday, and he cautioned about what the administration could and couldn’t do. He said there are still complex legal issues to be resolved to ensure that the administration does not violate the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Court ruling.

“It’s a long decision, overturning the 50-year precedent, and you want to make sure that what you’re doing is within the scope of the law,” Besera said. “We are not interested in being fraudulent.”

He called the court’s decision “sneaky” and at some point said he wanted to “apologize” for the administration’s inability to do any more. “There is no magic bullet, but if we can do it, we will find it and do it,” he said.

The government has studied the idea of ​​hosting an abortion clinic in a federal outlying area where federal prosecutors, such as military bases and national parks, do not have jurisdiction in states where abortion is currently a crime, but is skeptical. ..

According to officials familiar with internal deliberations, the problem is that the federal government cannot guarantee that non-federal doctors performing public affairs, and potentially patients, are not at risk of being prosecuted. White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre rejected the idea on Tuesday and told reporters on Air Force One that it could have a “dangerous effect” on women and doctors.

If the Republican Party defeats the President in 2024, his or her Justice Department could prosecute people for abortion crimes under state law. The statute of limitations for prosecution dating back to 2022 is endless. The state may strip a doctor’s license from a doctor. And state prosecutors may try to prosecute people for related acts done outside the excursion, such as helping women get there, under the theory of aid and betting or conspiracy. ..

To cross state boundaries to obtain an abortion because it could violate the so-called Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from being used to pay for abortions, except in the case of rape and incest. Providing financial assistance to women can also be a problem for the administration, or where the mother’s life is at stake. Becerra was asked on Tuesday if the Department of Health and Human Services would provide such financial support.

Officials said, “I will let you know exactly what we believe we can do and if we have the money to do it.” “But until then, the simple thing I can tell you is that all the options are in the table.”

One of the areas in which the government can act is to make emergency contraceptives (so-called morning after pills, also known as Plan B) and intrauterine devices available to women. Both are common methods of contraception, but anti-abortionists have considered them “abortion” and have tried to limit access to them in some states.

Some family planning clinics in the state that ban abortion say that Plan B is in short supply because women who are afraid of pills being illegal are in stock. Hailey Kramer, a nurse practitioner at Tri-Rivers Family Planning in Laura, Missouri, said on Monday that clinic suppliers are working on a surge in demand and pills have been backordered since the last draft of opinion overturning Roe was leaked. The month that I said.

Besera also instructed the Medicaid and Medicaid Service Centers to take action against states, including Missouri, which excluded Planned Parenthood, a leading contraceptive provider, from the Medicaid family planning program to refund such services. Said that he did.

“We make it clear that family planners can participate in the Medicaid program,” he said.