Biden: Memorandum on Access to Medical Termination of Pregnancy

On the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, President Joe Biden releases a presidential memorandum on further efforts to protect access to reproductive health care. Today in Florida, Vice President Kamala Harris announces further steps in the fight for reproductive rights, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to protecting access to abortion, including medical termination of pregnancy.

Recall that Biden is advocating for access to mifepristone, the drug used for medical abortion, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for more than 20 years and is used for most all abortions in the United States.

Earlier this month, the FDA took action to ensure safe access to mifepristone by authorizing the continued use of telemedicine to prescribe the drug and creating a new option for certified pharmacies to dispense it to patients.

Authorities in some states have taken steps to prevent women from legally accessing medical abortion and to prevent pharmacies from obtaining FDA certification.

Today, President Biden signs a presidential memorandum aimed at further protecting access to medical abortion.

The Attorney General and the Secretaries of Health and HHS will also make recommendations to the White House Interagency Task Force on Access to Reproductive Health Care, which was created by President Biden under Executive Order 14076, on additional ways to remove barriers to providing medical abortion that patients, providers and pharmacies face.