By Dominic Taylor-
U.S president Joe Biden has assured women travelling for abortions that they will be protected by the federal government.
Millions of women in the U.S lost the constitutional right to abortion in June, after the Supreme Court overturned its 50-year-old Roe v Wade decision, paving the way for individual states to ban the procedure.
As many states have become local battlegrounds in the fight to overturn or uphold abortion services, Joe Biden has offered guaranteed protection to women who face obstruction in the bid to have abductions.
“As I said last week: This is not over,” Biden said at a meeting with Democratic governors to discuss abortion access, one week after the Supreme Court reversed the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established a constitutional right to an abortion.
“Last week, I announced two specific actions,” he said. “First, that if extremist governors try to block a woman from traveling from her state that prohibits her from seeking medical help she needs to a state that provides that care, the federal government will act to protect her bedrock rights through the attorney general’s office.
Women in states where abortion is banned or restricted may be forced to cross state lines to parts of the country where the procedure remains legal.
Speaking at a virtual meeting with Democratic state governors, Mr Biden said he believed some US states would attempt to arrest women who crossed state lines for abortion access.
“I don’t think people believe that’s going to happen. But it’s going to happen,” he said.
The president added that the government would ensure access to pills that caused abortion in states where it was prohibited.
The overturning of Roe v Wade has sent shockwaves throughout the US.
It was the Supreme Court ruling that ensured that pregnant women were entitled to an abortion during the first three months of their pregnancy, while allowing for legal restrictions and bans in the second and third trimester.
Biden also announced that his administration would ensure that women across the nation are able to purchase and receive abortion medication that has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Still, Biden acknowledged at the meeting that there aren’t enough Democrats in the Senate willing to suspend a procedural rule to allow Democrats to codify the Roe decision into federal law.
He urged Americans to vote in the midterm elections for candidates who support abortion access.
“The choice is clear: We either elect federal senators and representatives who will codify Roe or Republicans … who will try to ban abortions nationwide.”