state fights. To mark one year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the White House hosted more than 80 state legislators from 41 states for a two-day convening to share effective tactics and lessons learned in the fight for reproductive rights in both restrictive and protective states. Vice President Harris attended portions of the convening to hear from participants and express appreciation for their work.
Looking ahead, the White House will continue the fight to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law, defend access to reproductive health care, and support state leaders in protecting access to abortion at the state level.
The Reversal of Roe v. Wade One Year In
Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, state abortion bans have had a devastating impact on women’s ability to access care, contributing to delays in care, worse health outcomes, and the need for more complex care. In states across the country, women have been turned away from emergency rooms, forced to travel hundreds of miles for the care they need, and left with complications that put their lives and health at risk. Over the past year, the White House has underscored the impact that these relentless attacks have had on patients and providers. President Biden has spoken out against the horrific consequences of state abortion bans, including on survivors of gender-based violence such as a 10-year-old rape victim in Ohio who was six weeks pregnant and forced to travel to neighboring Indiana for care.
| “Does anyone believe … a 10-year-old girl should be forced to give birth to a rapist’s child? I can tell you what: I don’t. I can’t think of anything as much more extreme.”
- President Biden at the Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access, 7/8/22 |
As part of the 2023 State of the Union Address, First Lady Jill Biden invited Amanda and Josh Zurawski as her guests. Amanda, who lives in Austin, Texas, was 18 weeks pregnant when her water broke, devastating her and Josh who had been trying to conceive for over a year. Her doctors were unable to intervene to help her because they were concerned that providing the treatment she needed would violate one of Texas’ three abortion bans. She was sent home with instructions to come back if she developed signs of life-threatening infection, which she did, three days later. Amanda developed sepsis and nearly died because of the delay in receiving treatment. She continues to suffer from medical complications due to the delay, impacting her ability to have children in the future, and has spoken out about the dangers of state bans that jeopardize women’s health. In advance of the one-year anniversary of Dobbs, the First Lady invited four more women to the White House to share their stories of being denied care for miscarriages and significant pregnancy complications—until their condition worsened to the point of endangering their lives.
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