US Abortion: Biden to sign executive order on safeguarding access

President Joe Biden will sign an executive order to protect access to abortion, the White House has said.

Mr Biden has faced pressure from fellow Democrats to respond with bolder action after a recent Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v Wade.

It paved the way for individual US states to decide if and how to allow abortions.

The order will include measures to safeguard access to abortion medication.

It is also expected to beef up protection against potential penalties that women seeking abortion may face if they travel across state lines for the procedure, protect access to contraception, and take to steps to protect patient privacy.

The order will direct Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to submit a report within 30 days on those efforts.

Mr Biden has maintained that his ability to institute abortion rights is limited unless without action from the US Congress.

"Until then, he has committed to doing everything in his power to defend reproductive rights and protect access to safe and legal abortion," the White House said in a statement on Friday.

The action comes nearly two weeks after the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion across the US.

Since then, at least nine states have instituted a near-total ban, with the only exception being danger to the life of the mother.

Other states are now scrambling to protect abortion access amid legal challenges, while abortion clinics are struggling to navigate patchworks of new laws.

Mr Biden is also directing the attorney general and White House counsel to convene private pro bono attorneys and public interest organisations to encourage legal representation for those seeking or offering reproductive health services.

"Such representation could include protecting the right to travel out of state to seek medical care," the White House said.

Ever since the Supreme Court handed down its decision discarding Roe v Wade, abortion rights activists have been calling on Joe Biden to do more.

The US president's initial reaction, an expression of sadness at the ruling and a call to vote Democratic in November's midterm elections, was viewed by many as simply inadequate.

Whispers that Mr Biden was not up to the moment, either because of advancing age or political disposition, have grown to the point that they couldn't be ignored by the White House.

Presidential power on abortion is limited, however, particularly given the long-time congressional provisions that prohibit the federal government from spending funds to support the procedure - provisions that Mr Biden himself one backed.

That leaves the president in a bind.

Opinion polling indicates that the public widely support maintaining the legality of abortion, even in states that have bans already on the books. But any sweeping measures Mr Biden may take will face quick legal challenge, and the support for presidential action - from the American people at large, if not from his restive liberal base - may diminish if the public views the White House as exceeding its powers.