- Mr. Becerra’s journey will take him to many states in the West, such as Arizona, California, Nevada, and New Mexico. It starts in Washington on Tuesday. Mr. Becerra intends to participate in roundtable talks with families impacted by restrictive state restrictions on abortion, family planning organizations, and medical professionals.
- In an interview, Mr. Becerra said that he would be leaving with positive news after this week’s unanimous rejection by the Supreme Court of a motion to severely restrict access to the commonly used abortion medication mifepristone. But his message would still be just as important, he said.
- Speaking about the trip as a means of making sure that people receive clear and correct information, he stated, “A lot of women are still confused — can they get an abortion?” For what length of time can they do this? Who can provide it? We want to let women realize that they still have a wide range of rights.
- The purpose of Mr. Becerra’s travel is not to support President Biden’s reelection effort. However, he will discuss reproductive rights in places where important contests are up for election in November.
- Democrats are hoping that abortion rights will help them get more people to the polls since the topic has become crucial to elections after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in 2022. They specifically want to inspire Latina voters in battleground states in the Southwest with sizable Latino populations, such as Arizona and Nevada.
- Several Republican contenders in contests in swing areas have sided with former President Donald J. Trump, who has said that abortion access should be left to the states. By doing so, they have exposed the party’s division on the issue and avoided discussing the possibility of a federal ban.
- Since Democrats and proponents of reproductive rights first put pressure on Mr. Biden to take action after the Supreme Court’s ruling, the White House has assigned Mr. Becerra the responsibility of assisting in preserving access to reproductive care. His organization promised to collaborate with the Justice Department in 2022 to guarantee access to abortion drugs. Since then, he has visited with patients and healthcare professionals all throughout the nation, including trips at Planned Parenthood locations in Minneapolis and St. Louis.
- Mr. Becerra said in the interview on Friday that a large number of women nationwide were still being turned away from emergency facilities, having to travel hundreds of miles for treatment, or having to appear in court to beg for care. Restricting access to contraception and fertility therapies like in vitro fertilization is still a goal of anti-abortion advocates.
Source:
nytimes
