Biden to sign executive order to support travel for abortions in latest move aimed at protecting access
CBSN
Washington — President Biden is set to sign an executive order Wednesday aimed at making it easier to travel to obtain an abortion and enforcing federal non-discrimination laws for those seeking the procedure, his latest unilateral effort to secure abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Roe v. Wade.
The order directs the secretary of health and human services to consider actions to support patients traveling out of state for abortions, including through the use of waivers that would allow states where abortion is legal to cover the cost of the procedure under Medicaid for out-of-state residents. The order also directs the secretary to make sure health care providers comply with federal non-discrimination laws, and asks him to evaluate and improve research and analysis on maternal health outcomes.
The president is signing the executive action Wednesday at during a virtual appearance at the first meeting of his newly created Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access. Mr. Biden is still recovering from a "rebound" case of COVID-19 and isolating at the White House.
