To mark the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the White House Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access announced this week new actions to strengthen access to contraceptives, medication abortions and emergency medical care. President Biden and the task force members met with physicians practicing in states with abortion bans in place. Among the many actions announced, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is ramping up enforcement of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act and reinforcing the obligations insurers must follow regarding contraception coverage. The Department of Justice is working to defend and support patients’ right to travel to other states to receive reproductive health care when needed. HHS says it is also working with the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission on new rules to protect patients’ reproductive health information.

The announcement coincides with President Biden’s campaign promise to make reproductive health care a top priority. This week, the White House also invited Kate Cox to the State of the Union; Cox was denied an emergency abortion by the Texas Supreme Court and had to travel out of state to have the procedure.