Biden to sign executive order to protect access to abortion after Supreme Court ruling

President Biden was set on Friday to sign an executive order to protect access to abortion after the conservative-dominated Supreme Court rolled back women’s right to choose.

The White House said Biden will speak Friday morning “on protecting access to reproductive health care services.” The actions he was expected to outline are intended to try to mitigate some potential penalties women seeking abortion may face after the ruling but are limited in their ability to safeguard access to abortion nationwide.

The mandate will also direct government agencies to work to educate medical providers and insurers about how and when they are required to share privileged patient information with authorities — an effort to protect women who seek or obtain an abortion by protecting their digital privacy.

[ Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, ending federal right to legal abortion in U.S. ]

The White House admits its options are limited and that Congress would have to act if Americans are going to regain the right to abortion after the top court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

“The only way to secure a woman’s right to choose is for Congress to restore the protections of Roe as federal law,” the White House said. “Until then, he has committed to doing everything in his power to defend reproductive rights and protect access to safe and legal abortion.”

The changes of Congress acting anytime soon are decidedly slim because Republicans hold effective veto power in the Senate through their filibuster power.

For now, it’s up to individual states to decide whether to allow abortion at all and how to regulate the procedure.

[ EXPLAINER: What does Supreme Court abortion ruling mean for New Yorkers? ]

Several Republican-led states plan to ban or severely restrict access to abortion by implementing trigger laws including trying to prevent women from going out of state to end their pregnancies.

Democratic-led states including New York are racing to enshrine abortion rights in their laws or even constitutions.

The White House said it will also convene volunteer lawyers to provide women and providers with pro bono legal assistance to help them navigate new state restrictions after the Supreme Court ruling.