Election 2024 live updates: Trump and Haley go one-on-one ahead of New Hampshire's primary
NBCJan 22
Biden Announces Abortion, Contraception Measures on Roe Anniversary
Image copyright: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images News via Getty Images (Oct. 18, 2022)
The Facts
US Democratic Pres. Joe Biden on Monday marked the 51st anniversary of the historic Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision Roe v. Wade — which established a constitutional right to abortion but was later overturned in 2022 — by announcing plans to provide more access to abortion medication and contraception.
Biden's plan, which he outlined to his task force on reproductive health care access, includes expanding coverage for no-cost contraception through the Affordable Care Act and giving federal employees better access to contraception through guidelines provided to insurers.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
The Biden administration's attempts to expand access to abortion and contraception in the face of Republican-imposed restrictions is an important first step in protecting women's health in a post-Roe world. The fight must continue because this isn't just about abortion but women's health in general. The overturning of Roe should be enough to galvanize women to push back in several ways, including at the ballot box.
Republican narrative
The case against Biden is clear — a vote for him is a vote for someone whose priority in a second term will be codifying the rights of women at the expense of the vulnerable unborn nationwide. Already, his administration has done everything it can short of getting legislation through Congress — including executive orders and ordering unelected bureaucrats to issue health guidances — to preserve as much abortion-on-demand as it can. Biden and the Democrats don't believe in the sanctity of life.