WH Spox Karine Jean-Pierre Details Steps to Fight ‘Bizarre’ Texas Abortion Law: Biden ‘Wants to See Action’
During a briefing aboard Air Force One, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre detailed the steps that President Joe Biden is taking to try and fight the “bizarre” Texas abortion law that the conservative Supreme Court majority declined to block.
In remarks on Friday, the president hinted about options that are being explored to mitigate the effects of a law that most experts agree has effectively stripped the protections of Roe v. Wade from women in Texas, and in any other state that chooses to pass a similar law.
During Friday’s flight to Louisiana, Ms. Jean-Pierre was asked to elaborate on Biden’s comments, and she gave a detailed explanation of what is being explored, slammed the law’s “bizarre scheme” of deputizing private citizens to enforce it, and said that the president expects to see action:
Q Was the President talking about — on abortion, he said there are things that can be done by the Justice Department to help individuals in enforcing a federal system. It was a little unclear. I mean, there’s women who can’t get abortions after six weeks. What’s the plan?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. So, let me just first say that, today, the Gender Policy Council and the Office of the White House Counsel this morning met with the reproductive rights advocates to hear their views and get responses. The President wants to get the best ideas on the table. That is what he’s talking about. That’s what he charged the Gender Policy Council and the Office of White House Counsel to do in the statement that he put out yesterday on this.
And so, on the table, we’re looking at legislative actions — what are the best legislative actions, what are the actions that the administration itself can do. And he wants to see action and remains committed to that.
So that is what — that is what the President continues to support, and that’s what the President continues to look at.
And also, let’s not forget: Additionally, as you all know, you know, this is all being taken seriously by Speaker Pelosi and Senate Democrats, and we’re going to work closely with them.
Q Does that mean providing transportation for people? What does it — I still don’t understand. Is it legal? Is it just — do we know the law?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, he’s been very clear — if you read the statement that he put out yesterday: Again, he directed the Gender Policy Council and the Office of White House Counsel to launch a whole-of-government approach. That’s what he wants to see.
The President specifically tasked the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to see what steps the federal government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe, and what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas — Texas’s bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties.
So this is what he wants to do. He has — he’s been taking a whole-of-government approach. Like we said, he’s going to see what the best idea is on the table. And I mentioned that the GP- — the GPC, the Gender Policy Council, and the White House Counsel met today with some — with some groups, and they’ll have those conversations.
Watch above via The White House.
