Senate Democrats press Biden on plan to defend abortion

More than two dozen Senate Democrats are pressing President Biden for a national plan to defend a person’s right to an abortion. 

“Abortion access is under attack in the United States and already completely eliminated in swaths of the country,” they wrote in a letter to the president dated Tuesday. The letter was first reported by NBC News.

The Democratic lawmakers, led by Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), warned that “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.”

“Americans across the nation and at every level of government must stand up against this unprecedented assault on women and their right to make decisions about their own bodies and lives. But as President of the United States, you have the unique power to marshal the resources of the entire federal government to respond,” they continued.

The letter listed six specific demands: “increasing access to medication abortion,” “providing resources for individuals seeking abortion care in other states,” “establishing a reproductive health ombudsman at the Department of Health and Humans Services,” “enforcing ‘Free Choice of Provider’ requirements,” “clarifying protections for sensitive health and location data” and “using federal property and resources to increase access to abortion.”

The effort follows a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that showed the high court’s intention to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that established the right to an abortion. 

Last month, Democrats attempted to pass legislation to codify abortion but fell short of short 60 votes needed to move forward after Senate Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) rejected the plan.