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With the U.S. Supreme Court expected to issue a ruling later this month that could overturn Roe v. Wade and imperil abortion rights nationwide, a group of 25 senators on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden to do all he can through executive action to protect reproductive freedoms at the federal level.
"We need an all-of-government plan to protect every American's reproductive rights."
In a letter led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the lawmakers outlined six specific steps Biden could take to unilaterally defend abortion rights as legislative efforts to do so have failed in the face of opposition from the Senate GOP and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.).
"Democrats need to use every tool at their disposal to protect women and their constitutional right to an abortion," Warren said in a statement. "President Biden's executive authority to marshal the resources of the entire federal government is one of our most powerful tools. With an extremist Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, now is the time to act."
The half-dozen steps that the 24 Senate Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) suggest in the new letter are as follows:
"These proposals are only starting points in a federal apparatus that affects millions of Americans every day," the senators stressed. "The entirety of the federal government must be engaged in the administration's efforts and must act as swiftly as possible."
Murray, the chair of the Senate health committee, said that with as many as 26 Republican-controlled states preparing to ban abortion as soon as the Supreme Court hands down its ruling, "this is an all-hands-on-deck moment to protect abortion rights."
"This is an all-hands-on-deck moment to protect abortion rights."
"With the Supreme Court likely to overturn Roe v. Wade any day now--fulfilling Republicans' radical, decades-long push to ban abortion--we need an all-of-government plan to protect every American's reproductive rights," said Murray.
"I pushed the Biden administration for a plan last month at a hearing," the Washington Democrat added, "and now I'm demanding that they step up to the plate: with Republicans continuing their nonstop attacks on the right to abortion, access to birth control, [in vitro fertilization], and so much more, Democrats must fight back with every lever we have to get women the care they need."
The mounting pressure on Biden to take executive action comes nearly a month after Manchin joined every Senate Republican in filibustering the Women's Health Protection Act, legislation that would have codified abortion rights into federal law.
Just two weeks after the Senate vote, Oklahoma became the first state in the U.S. to enact a total ban on abortion and other Republican-led states are expected to follow suit in the near future, emboldened by a recently leaked draft opinion indicating that the conservative-dominated Supreme Court is poised to strike down Roe.
"Anti-abortion politicians have introduced nearly 550 abortion restrictions in 42 states and passed radical laws completely banning abortion and placing bounties on providers offering medical services," the senators noted in their letter to Biden on Wednesday. "And if Roe v. Wade is gutted by this right-wing Supreme Court, Republican leaders have already signaled their next move: a nationwide ban on abortion in all 50 states."
"As extremist judges and Republican politicians intensify their efforts to strip Americans of their basic reproductive freedoms, you can demonstrate to the country and women everywhere that you will do everything in your power to fight back," the lawmakers added. "With each day that passes, this crisis will only worsen."
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With the U.S. Supreme Court expected to issue a ruling later this month that could overturn Roe v. Wade and imperil abortion rights nationwide, a group of 25 senators on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden to do all he can through executive action to protect reproductive freedoms at the federal level.
"We need an all-of-government plan to protect every American's reproductive rights."
In a letter led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the lawmakers outlined six specific steps Biden could take to unilaterally defend abortion rights as legislative efforts to do so have failed in the face of opposition from the Senate GOP and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.).
"Democrats need to use every tool at their disposal to protect women and their constitutional right to an abortion," Warren said in a statement. "President Biden's executive authority to marshal the resources of the entire federal government is one of our most powerful tools. With an extremist Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, now is the time to act."
The half-dozen steps that the 24 Senate Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) suggest in the new letter are as follows:
"These proposals are only starting points in a federal apparatus that affects millions of Americans every day," the senators stressed. "The entirety of the federal government must be engaged in the administration's efforts and must act as swiftly as possible."
Murray, the chair of the Senate health committee, said that with as many as 26 Republican-controlled states preparing to ban abortion as soon as the Supreme Court hands down its ruling, "this is an all-hands-on-deck moment to protect abortion rights."
"This is an all-hands-on-deck moment to protect abortion rights."
"With the Supreme Court likely to overturn Roe v. Wade any day now--fulfilling Republicans' radical, decades-long push to ban abortion--we need an all-of-government plan to protect every American's reproductive rights," said Murray.
"I pushed the Biden administration for a plan last month at a hearing," the Washington Democrat added, "and now I'm demanding that they step up to the plate: with Republicans continuing their nonstop attacks on the right to abortion, access to birth control, [in vitro fertilization], and so much more, Democrats must fight back with every lever we have to get women the care they need."
The mounting pressure on Biden to take executive action comes nearly a month after Manchin joined every Senate Republican in filibustering the Women's Health Protection Act, legislation that would have codified abortion rights into federal law.
Just two weeks after the Senate vote, Oklahoma became the first state in the U.S. to enact a total ban on abortion and other Republican-led states are expected to follow suit in the near future, emboldened by a recently leaked draft opinion indicating that the conservative-dominated Supreme Court is poised to strike down Roe.
"Anti-abortion politicians have introduced nearly 550 abortion restrictions in 42 states and passed radical laws completely banning abortion and placing bounties on providers offering medical services," the senators noted in their letter to Biden on Wednesday. "And if Roe v. Wade is gutted by this right-wing Supreme Court, Republican leaders have already signaled their next move: a nationwide ban on abortion in all 50 states."
"As extremist judges and Republican politicians intensify their efforts to strip Americans of their basic reproductive freedoms, you can demonstrate to the country and women everywhere that you will do everything in your power to fight back," the lawmakers added. "With each day that passes, this crisis will only worsen."
With the U.S. Supreme Court expected to issue a ruling later this month that could overturn Roe v. Wade and imperil abortion rights nationwide, a group of 25 senators on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden to do all he can through executive action to protect reproductive freedoms at the federal level.
"We need an all-of-government plan to protect every American's reproductive rights."
In a letter led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the lawmakers outlined six specific steps Biden could take to unilaterally defend abortion rights as legislative efforts to do so have failed in the face of opposition from the Senate GOP and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.).
"Democrats need to use every tool at their disposal to protect women and their constitutional right to an abortion," Warren said in a statement. "President Biden's executive authority to marshal the resources of the entire federal government is one of our most powerful tools. With an extremist Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, now is the time to act."
The half-dozen steps that the 24 Senate Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) suggest in the new letter are as follows:
"These proposals are only starting points in a federal apparatus that affects millions of Americans every day," the senators stressed. "The entirety of the federal government must be engaged in the administration's efforts and must act as swiftly as possible."
Murray, the chair of the Senate health committee, said that with as many as 26 Republican-controlled states preparing to ban abortion as soon as the Supreme Court hands down its ruling, "this is an all-hands-on-deck moment to protect abortion rights."
"This is an all-hands-on-deck moment to protect abortion rights."
"With the Supreme Court likely to overturn Roe v. Wade any day now--fulfilling Republicans' radical, decades-long push to ban abortion--we need an all-of-government plan to protect every American's reproductive rights," said Murray.
"I pushed the Biden administration for a plan last month at a hearing," the Washington Democrat added, "and now I'm demanding that they step up to the plate: with Republicans continuing their nonstop attacks on the right to abortion, access to birth control, [in vitro fertilization], and so much more, Democrats must fight back with every lever we have to get women the care they need."
The mounting pressure on Biden to take executive action comes nearly a month after Manchin joined every Senate Republican in filibustering the Women's Health Protection Act, legislation that would have codified abortion rights into federal law.
Just two weeks after the Senate vote, Oklahoma became the first state in the U.S. to enact a total ban on abortion and other Republican-led states are expected to follow suit in the near future, emboldened by a recently leaked draft opinion indicating that the conservative-dominated Supreme Court is poised to strike down Roe.
"Anti-abortion politicians have introduced nearly 550 abortion restrictions in 42 states and passed radical laws completely banning abortion and placing bounties on providers offering medical services," the senators noted in their letter to Biden on Wednesday. "And if Roe v. Wade is gutted by this right-wing Supreme Court, Republican leaders have already signaled their next move: a nationwide ban on abortion in all 50 states."
"As extremist judges and Republican politicians intensify their efforts to strip Americans of their basic reproductive freedoms, you can demonstrate to the country and women everywhere that you will do everything in your power to fight back," the lawmakers added. "With each day that passes, this crisis will only worsen."