Biden HHS Considering Emergency to Promote Abortion Access

President Joe Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is considering declaring a public health emergency to promote abortion access, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra told Axios Monday.

The HHS believes it has the authority to declare a public emergency, but it is only one of many options on the table, according to Becerra, who argued there was an ongoing “reproductive health crisis” since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The agency has not completed a full assessment on a declaration, its conditions and whether it’s merited, he told Axios.

“There are discussions on a wide range of measures … that we can take to try to protect people’s rights,” he said. “There are certain criteria that you look for to be able to declare a public health emergency. That’s typically done by scientists and those that are professionals in those fields who will tell us whether we are in a state of emergency and based on that, I have the ability to make a declaration.”

The declaration could potentially shield abortion providers from liability and block the enforcement of some aspects of state abortion restrictions, according to Temple University professor Rachel Rebouche. It could also result in funding being allocated to women traveling out of state for abortions, Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis, told Axios.... (Read more)

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