Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Friday that he will begin a nationwide tour next week to promote the Biden administration’s efforts to preserve and expand access to abortion.
The tour, which Mr. Becerra will begin on Tuesday in Washington, will take him to states across the West, including Arizona, California, Nevada and New Mexico. Mr. Becerra plans to participate in roundtable discussions with health care providers, family planning groups and families affected by restrictive state abortion laws.
In an interview, Mr. Becerra said he would travel with good news after the Supreme Court this week unanimously rejected an attempt to sharply restrict access to mifepristone, a widely used abortion pill. But, he added, his message is no less urgent.
“Many women are still confused – can they have an abortion?” He described the tour as a way to ensure people receive clear and accurate information. “How long are they able to do this? Who can provide it? We want women to know that women still have many rights.”
Mr. Becerra’s tour does not benefit President Biden’s re-election campaign. But he will talk about reproductive rights in states where key races are on the ballot in November.
Since the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade repealed in 2022, the issue has become a key election issue, and Democrats are betting that abortion rights will help them get voters to the polls. In southwestern swing states with large Latino populations such as Arizona and Nevada, they primarily want to motivate Latina voters.
Former President Donald J. Trump has said abortion access should be left to the states, and several Republican candidates in swing-state contests have joined him in avoiding mention of a national ban and easing the party’s divide have disclosed this question.
The White House has tasked Mr. Becerra with helping protect access to reproductive care as Democrats and reproductive rights advocates first pressured Mr. Biden to take action following the Supreme Court’s decision. In 2022, his agency pledged to work with the Justice Department to ensure access to abortion pills. Since then, he has met with patients and providers across the country, including at Planned Parenthood clinics in St. Louis and Minneapolis.
In the interview on Friday, Mr. Becerra said many women across the country were still being turned away from emergency rooms, forced to go to court to seek treatment or had to travel hundreds of miles for treatment. Abortion opponents are still trying to restrict access to contraceptives and fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization.
“So many people are confused or afraid right now, and it’s difficult to make good decisions when you’re confused or afraid,” he said.
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2024-06-15 17:25:04
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