Biden says Supreme Court is ‘out of control,’ orders HHS to protect

Calling the U.S. Supreme Court “out of control,” President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday designed to bolster access to abortion in states that are banning it following the court’s ruling two weeks ago to overturn the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy.

Biden, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, rebuked the conservative majority on the court for stripping U.S. citizens of fundamental rights he said were protected by the Constitution, such as the right to privacy in health matters like seeking an abortion.

“We cannot allow an out-of-control Supreme Court working in conjunction with extremist elements of the Republican Party to take away freedoms and our personal autonomy,” he said from the White House.

The president called out Justice Clarence Thomas’ comments in a concurring opinion overturning Roe v. Wade that invited challenges to past rulings on contraceptive access, gay marriage and other issues.

“What century are they in?” asked an incredulous Biden, who promised to veto any future Republican-led effort to ban abortion nationwide. The Affordable Care Act guarantees women free birth control and contraceptive counseling.

Biden then signed an executive order that promises to protect the safety of abortion patients and providers and access to the procedure through mobile clinics near the borders of states that restrict access to abortion.

The order also instructs the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a report within the next month detailing actions to safeguard medication abortion, ensure access to emergency contraception and IUDs and bulk up reproductive education.

It directs HHS to take steps to protect access to the abortion pill, though it’s still not clear what exactly the federal government plans to do. The Food and Drug Administration approved the abortion pill, mifepristone, more than 20 years ago as a safe and effective way to end a pregnancy before the 10th week.

In December, the FDA permanently allowed the pill to be sent by mail from licensed pharmacies and health-care providers. Planned Parenthood, a health care provider that supports access to abortion services, praised the decision at the time as a significant expansion of reproductive rights.

The order comes two weeks after the Supreme Court voted to reverse its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and end 50 years of legal precedent. At least eight states, including Texas, Alabama and Missouri, have banned abortion so far, and another dozen are expected to restrict or outlaw access to the procedure over the next two months.

Democrats, enraged and upset by the court’s…