Activists with "Our Rights DC" rally for abortion rights near the White House on Aug. 23. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The Biden administration is marking a day of action Friday on reproductive rights, recognizing the impact the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson has had on access to abortion in the last two months, officials said.
Driving the news: The administration and the Department of Health and Human Services are hosting a meeting at the White House with state and local elected officials from across the country to discuss how states can protect access to care and how their efforts can supported at the federal level.
Meanwhile: HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure are issuing a letter to governors to underscore that state anti-abortion laws don't negate providers' responsibilities to comply with federal laws that protect access to emergency health care.
- The letter also invites states to apply for Section 1115 Medicaid waivers to provide increased access to care.
Of note: Also Friday, the HHS is releasing its report in response to Biden's executive order calling for the protection of access to reproductive health care services in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade being overturned.
- The report outlines an action place for access to medication abortion and contraception, access to care under the law, protecting patient privacy, access to information, and access to data.
Catch up quick: Biden's executive order signed in July called on HHS to identify policy options to provide access to reproductive health coverage, including through Medicaid, and including for people traveling across state lines.
- Biden issued another executive order earlier this month to protect people's ability to travel out of state to access abortion.
Go deeper: Where abortion has been banned now that Roe v. Wade is overturned