President Joe Biden signed an executive order to protect access to abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two weeks ago.
Biden, joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said in remarks on Friday that the court's decision was "totally wrong."
"What we're witnessing wasn't a constitutional judgment, it was an exercise in raw political power," he said, adding that the impact was beyond only Roe, but targeted the right to privacy. "Marriage equality. Contraception. So much more is at risk. This decision affects everyone."
The order looks to safeguard abortion access as well as access to contraceptives and patient privacy. The order will also set up an interagency task force that will use "every federal tool" to protect access to reproductive care.
Biden acknowledged that his order could not restore abortion rights in the states that have introduced strict abortion limits or complete bans on abortion.
"We cannot allow an out-of-control Supreme Court working in conjunction with extremist elements in the Republican Party to take away freedoms and our personal autonomy," Biden said.
He urged people to go out and vote in the upcoming midterms, saying that electing more pro-choice lawmakers who would then pass a national law would be the fastest way to restore abortion rights.
"Vote, vote, vote," the president said. "The challenge is go out and vote. For God's sake, there is an election in November!"
"This isn't some imagined horror," Biden said with emotion. "It is already happening. Just last week, it was reported that a 10-year-old girl was a rape victim, 10 years old, and she was forced to have to travel out of state to Indiana to seek to terminate the pregnancy and maybe save her life."
"Imagine being that little girl," he added. "I'm serious -- just imagine being that little girl."
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