dozen-plus states with strict restrictions or outright bans on abortion<\/a> to allow the procedure.<\/p>\n\u201cI don\u2019t have the authority to say that we\u2019re going to reinstate Roe v. Wade as the law of the land,\u201d he said, referring to the Supreme Court\u2019s decision from 1973 that had established a national right to abortion. Biden said Congress would have to codify that right and for that to have a better chance in the future, voters would have to elect more lawmakers who support abortion access.<\/p>\n
Biden said his administration is trying to do a \u201clot of things to accommodate the rights of women\u201d after the ruling, including considering declaring a public health emergency to free up federal resources. Such a move has been pushed by advocates, but White House officials have questioned both its legality and effectiveness, and noted it would almost certainly face legal challenges.<\/p>\n
The president said he has asked officials \u201cto look at whether I have the authority to do that and what impact that would have.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Friday, Jen Klein, the director of the White House Gender Policy Council, said it \u201cdidn\u2019t seem like a great option.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we looked at the public health emergency, we learned a couple things: One is that it doesn\u2019t free very many resources,\u201d she told reporters. \u201cIt\u2019s what\u2019s in the public health emergency fund, and there\u2019s very little money \u2014 tens of thousands of dollars in it. So that didn\u2019t seem like a great option. And it also doesn\u2019t release a significant amount of legal authority. And so that\u2019s why we haven\u2019t taken that action yet.\u201d<\/p>\n