More than 400 health care providers called on the Biden administration to “actively and unequivocally” support an abortion rights policy that goes further than Roe v. Wade and restores access to abortion later in pregnancy.
Advocacy group Physicians for Reproductive Health, along with 430 physicians providing sexual and reproductive health care, on Tuesday sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, urging them to do better on abortion care and gender-affirming care.
Since the Supreme Court repealed federal abortion protections in 2022, Biden has continually supported restoring Roe, which protected abortion access until around 24 weeks on the federal level. But many abortion rights advocates say that Roe was inherently flawed, allowing targeted restrictions on abortion providers that chipped away at access even where it was legal and left out people who needed abortion care past fetal viability.
“While Roe provided a constitutional right to abortion, it never ensured access to that right for all those who needed it,” reads the letter, which was shared exclusively with HuffPost. “The promise of Roe, the legal right to abortion care, was never fulfilled.”
When Roe was still intact, pregnant people routinely had to travel across state lines to get care later in pregnancy, and hundreds were criminalized for their pregnancy outcomes. More than 1,300 abortion restrictions, or TRAP laws, were enacted in the years after Roe was decided in 1973. These laws forced many abortion clinics to shut down, creating a dynamic where abortion care was legal on a federal level but not actually accessible in many parts of the country.
“We urge the Administration and law makers across the country to broaden their efforts, moving beyond Roe’s framework, and talk about the future our patients deserve boldly and bravely,” the letter says. “We ask you to champion policy solutions that are not premised on returning us to the narrow protections Roe created. We deserve so much more. Our patients deserve so much more.”
Pro-choice advocates have repeatedly criticized the president — who was running for a second term on a “Restore Roe” platform before stepping down from the campaign — for not being more aggressive on abortion rights. Nearly half the country has effectively criminalized abortion care since the Supreme Court repealed federal protections, and the president still struggles to say the word “abortion.” Some advocates were optimistic when Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee, pointing out that she’s been much more vocal about her support for abortion rights, but recent reports indicate that she is also seeking to restore Roe if elected.
The group of health care providers also encouraged Biden and Harris to support access to gender-affirming care for young people and adults. The providers criticized the president’s recent statement in which he opposed care for minors, writing that comments like his are “dangerous” and “firm up opposition to this essential care.”
Similarly, the letter’s signatories implored Biden to stop using language that stigmatizes later abortion care because it causes “tremendous harm.” Around 1% of abortions occur at 21 weeks or later — a small percentage that Democrats often point to — but 1% is still around 9,000 people who get later abortions every year. People get abortions later in pregnancy for a variety of reasons, including people with wanted pregnancies who get a fatal fetal diagnosis or young people who don’t realize they’re pregnant or don’t have a safe way to get an abortion right away. Since Roe fell, more and more women are being pushed further into pregnancy because they experience barriers to care early on.
“Full-spectrum reproductive and gender-affirming health care are not only essential, life-saving services, but fundamental human rights,” Dr. Jamila Perritt, the president and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health who also works as an OB/GYN in Washington, D.C., told HuffPost in a statement.
“Today, we are calling for bold and brave solutions that support individuals in seeking the care they need free of stigma, delays, and barriers,” Perritt added. “As providers, it is our responsibility to offer compassionate health care and evidence-based advocacy, to support our patients to the best of our abilities, and ultimately, to build a future where everyone is positioned to thrive. It is my hope that this letter will inspire change within our current legislative landscape, centering the humanity and dignity of those at the margins of oppression.”
Read the full letter to Biden and Harris below:
