Biden order faces limits attempting to bolster abortion access

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday that attempts to bolster women’s access to contraception and abortion medication and protect their medical privacy two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion.

But the president’s order does not restore abortion rights in the states that have banned the procedure — or soon will. Nor does it appear to affect Florida’s 15-week abortion ban, which took effect July 1.

Biden, acting as pressure mounts from Democrats and abortion rights advocates, directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to identify “potential actions” to “protect and expand access to abortion care.”