President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday he said is meant to protect access to reproductive healthcare in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. The White House said the action will build on what it has already been done to defend reproductive rights. 

“We cannot allow an out-of-control Supreme Court, working in conjunction with extremist elements of the Republican Party, to take away freedoms and our personal autonomy,” President Biden said. “The choice we face as a nation is between the mainstream and the extreme.”

The main points of the president’s EO include:

• Supporting medication abortions by directing HHS to “protect and expand” access to abortion care, including access to FDA-approved medication;
• ensure access to emergency medical care for women who are pregnant or experiencing what the White House describes as pregnancy loss; and
• promote safety and security to protect patients, providers and clinics. 

The president reiterated his belief that the right to privacy is embedded in the Constitution and that it includes access to abortion.

“This was not a decision driven by the Constitution,” President Biden said of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. “What we’re witnessing wasn’t a constitutional judgment. It was an exercise in raw political power.”

The president also hinted that executive orders are limited, and the most effective and permanent way to make a change is by voting to codify abortion rights. He added the choice includes whether or not Americans will allow politicians to make decisions that impact the most personal parts of their lives.

President Biden: "We cannot allow an out-of-control Supreme Court, working in conjunction with extremist elements of the Republican Party, to take away freedoms and our personal autonomy. The choice we face as a nation is between the mainstream and the extreme." pic.twitter.com/y5em0hDzUv

— CSPAN (@cspan) July 8, 2022

“The court now practically dares the women of America to go to the ballot box and restore the very rights they have just taken away,” President Biden said. “For God sake there’s an election in November. Vote. Vote. Vote. Vote. Challenge accepted, court.”