Biden says end of Roe left a ‘cruel reality’ for women in the US

President Biden said Monday that women in the U.S. face a cruel reality in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade’s demise, outlining the impact laws in red states that restrict abortion access have on women.

Biden is expected to make abortion rights a major part of his reelection argument in the fall.

On Monday, the president began remarks at a meeting with the White House reproductive rights task force by talking about women being turned away in emergency rooms and forced to go to court to fight for reproductive care.

He told the story of a mother in Texas who found out her life and the life of her child were both at risk — but could not get an abortion in the state.

“They turned a deeply private and painful matter into a public matter,” Biden said of the state authorities. “She ultimately had to leave the state to get the help she needed to protect herself and her ability to have more children in the future.”

“The cruelty is astounding. An affront to a women’s dignity being told by extreme politicians to wait, to get sicker and sicker to the point where her life may be in danger before you can get the care you need. That cruel reality is the result of extreme Republicans who for years have made it their mission to end Roe v. Wade decision,” the president added.

The task force meeting comes on the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that made abortion a constitutional right before it was overturned in 2022.

Biden said “it’s outrageous” that there’s a life sentence in Texas for doctors who provide care against the state’s law and noted that Republicans have introduced three national abortion bans in Congress so far.

“Folks, this is what it looks like when the right to privacy is under attack,” Biden said. “These extreme laws have no place, no place in the United States of America.”

Biden called on Congress to work to make Roe v. Wade into federal law — something unlikely to happen given GOP control of the House and the large Republican minority in the Senate.

“Congress must codify Roe v. Wade for all the states in America,” Biden added. “That’s what I’m working for. I’m working for that law.”

The task force meeting was the fourth time the group of senior officials have met. They were joined Monday by physicians who practice in states with abortion bans.