California Democrat pushes Biden to ‘prioritize equity’ in abortion response

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) is calling President Biden’s recent executive order on abortion “an important first step” but is urging the administration to prioritize equity in its response to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Padilla wrote in a letter to Biden on Friday, first reported by The Washington Post, that the rate of abortions is higher among minority and low-income women and said those groups already face “barriers” to reproductive care. 

“As your administration continues its efforts, I urge you to prioritize equity and specifically address the disproportionate impact the Dobbs decision will have on racial minorities and economically disadvantaged families, as well as immigrant and tribal communities,” Padilla wrote, referring to the Supreme Court’s ruling in a case that struck down the decades-old decision in Roe v. Wade.

Padilla urged Biden to direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a public messaging campaign in multiple languages to dispel false information in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

He called for the administration “to ensure that pregnant women and girls in immigration detention or in Office of Refugee and Resettlement custody are not denied access to reproductive healthcare” if they are detained in states with laws restricting abortions.

He also noted California’s recently passed state operating budget, which will guarantee free health care for all low-income immigrants living in the country illegally by making them eligible for the state’s Medicaid program by 2024.

“HHS should issue updated guidance that makes clear what options states have to expand their federal health programs to provide reproductive care for immigrant women and girls,” Padilla wrote.

Padilla also highlighted recent moves by states with more lenient abortion restrictions to serve as “safe-havens” for those living in states where abortion is banned or heavily restricted.

Those centers are reportedly experiencing difficulty serving clients who speak languages other than English, Padilla wrote.

“In the wake of the Dobbs ruling, it is urgent that the federal government ensure women seeking safe abortion care have equitable access to resources and opportunities across the country, in both restrictive abortion states and those maintaining access,” he said.

Biden signed an executive order on Friday that is limited in scope, instructing HHS to protect and expand access to abortion medication by mail, although it did not make it clear how the department would ensure access is protected. 

Many Democrats and advocates have voiced frustration at the administration for what they view as a flat-footed response. 

Biden’s executive order came two weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe, but the president acknowledged Congress has ultimate control over protecting abortion access nationwide.

“We need two additional pro-choice senators and a pro-choice House to codify Roe as federal law,” Biden said on Friday. “Your vote can make that a reality.”

Padilla’s letter to Biden is the latest set of requests from Democrats on abortion.

A group of 33 Democratic senators wrote to Biden in the immediate aftermath of the court’s decision urging him to use the “full force” of the federal government in protecting abortion access.

Some progressives have called for providing abortion services on federal lands in states where the procedure is banned, but the White House has cast doubt on implementing such a proposal.