Headline Roundup • July 8th, 2022
Biden Signs Executive Order on Abortion Access
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Joe Biden just took executive action on abortion access.
Biden signed the executive order Friday in the White House's Roosevelt Room. The order attempts to protect patient privacy, access to medication abortion and contraception. It also aims to launch public education efforts around abortion and improve the available legal options for people seeking and providing abortions. Biden again called for a federal law codifying Roe vs. Wade, criticized the Supreme Court's reversal of it, and said that "the practice of medicine should not be frozen in the 19th century." He did not take questions following the remarks.
The order directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take action to expand contraception access, and to submit a report within 30 days on the steps it's taken. The president will also establish a reproductive health care access task force, which will include Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The news was a top story from sources across the political spectrum Friday, especially from left- and center-rated sources. Many reports highlighted the pressure Biden faces from Democrats to act on abortion.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
President Joe Biden will sign an executive order Friday aimed at “protecting access to reproductive health,” the White House announced.
The “Executive Order Protecting Access to Reproductive Health Care Services” is the Biden administration’s latest response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. That decision, decried by Biden as a “tragic error,” has reportedly caused friction within the Democratic Party and the president, with some members quietly questioning the administration’s response.
Only Congress has the ability to codify abortion rights, so Biden’s executive order is designed to build “on the actions...
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
President Biden signed an executive order on Friday aimed at protecting abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Why it matters: Biden has faced intense pressure from his own party to act more aggressively on abortion. Many conservative states had "trigger laws" in place that banned or severely limited abortions in the days following the ruling and more bans are expected.
While the order will not restore access to abortion in the states that have already banned or restricted the procedure, it could enhance the administration's efforts to help people know what rights they do have.
...
EVAN VUCCI VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Joe Biden signed a new executive order addressing Americans’ access to abortion on Friday, two weeks after the Supreme Court’s conservative bloc voted to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.
The White House said Biden will use his executive authority to defend reproductive rights within various federal agencies, but stressed Congress had the ultimate power to codify abortion access as federal law.
The order will build on steps the Biden administration has already taken.
Biden plans to direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take additional action to protect...
AllSides Picks
Headline Roundup
Massachusetts Expected to Allow Abortions at Any Stage
July 31st, 2026
.webp)
Blog
Courts, Crackdowns, and Civil Right Violations: 6 New Stories You Probably Haven’t Seen
Malayna J. Bizier
August 5th, 2026
Blog
Tracking Trump’s Campaign Promises
AllSides Staff
July 24th, 2026
Red Blue Translator
