First Lady Jill Biden said Tuesday that abortion law battles in numerous states “go far beyond the right to choose” and “devastating consequences to their health, their fertility and their lives.”
Biden made his remarks to four women before a White House event Saturday commemorating the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and returned abortion to the states. June 24, 2022, was the verdict.
“The consequences of these bans go far beyond the right to choose,” the first lady warned the ladies. She then claimed doctors were refusing certain women medical treatment owing to new state laws banning abortion “because they don’t know which procedures are legal.”
“And like those who are with us today, far, far too many women are experiencing devastating consequences to their health, fertility and lives,” the FLOTUS said.
She joined Texas abortion-denied women’s case.
Texas, Florida, and Louisiana women recounted painful experiences of being refused prenatal treatment with Biden.
Florida’s 15-week abortion restriction prevented 16-week-pregnant Anya Cook from receiving medical care. She stated it “very, nearly killed” her.
“Because she was beyond 15 weeks and there was still a heartbeat, they couldn’t touch me or treat me or admit me,” Cook said. “They sent us home.”
Her daughter miscarried within days. Cook wants to punish lawbreakers.
“We don’t know if I can get pregnant now or carry to birth, but the target of our wrath is very well-known: It’s the people who have taken our human rights to health, liberty, and personal autonomy,” Cook said. “Someone needs to fight back against these insidious laws in states across the country.”
“This time I would have to flee my own state,” said Dallas doctor Dr. Austin Dennard, who opted to undergo an abortion.
“The state of Texas should not be making these decisions for me, let alone anybody else,” Dennard said at the White House.
The Biden administration is holding multiple events this week to commemorate the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Friday’s Washington gathering will include President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the first lady, and Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff.
Harris will discuss the Biden administration’s reproductive freedom initiatives in North Carolina on Saturday.
After the Supreme Court ruling, 18 states banned abortion.
