Remarks by the Vice President at a Meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Reproductive Health Care Access

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Madam Klein. Good afternoon.

So, the Dobbs decision created a healthcare crisis in America. And this taskforce was convened by the President of the United States to address this crisis in a way that we would approach it from an all-of-government, hands-on approach to address what we have the ability to do to ensure that the women of America receive all the protections they are due under law and that our administration, through our agencies, can provide to assist them to have access to the care they need and deserve.

We believe, and I certainly believe, that a woman should have the freedom to make decisions about her own body and that her government should not be making those decisions for her. We believe that if she chooses, she, of course, will and can consult with her physician, with her loved ones, with her faith leader.

One does not have to abandon their faith or beliefs to agree that the government should not be making these decisions for the women of America.

Today, extremist so-called leaders are attacking the freedom and liberty of millions of women. At a state level, in Arizona, for example, a judge recently upheld an 1864 -- that's not a statute, that's the year -- 1864 abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest.

In Wisconsin, as another example, that state activated an abortion ban that was passed in 1849. That's 173 years ago. And make note that, at that time, women also did not have the right to vote.

What we are seeing in laws around our country is the criminalization of doctors and healthcare providers. In some situations, up to five to six years in prison would be the penalty.

These laws have been written and passed, many of them, when women were deprived, like I said, of their full rights as citizens and the right to vote, when we're thinking about those laws from 1864 and 1849.

We have convened this taskforce at the earliest days after the Dobbs decision. And this is our -- our next convening, our second meeting of the taskforce. In August, when we convened, there was a lot of work to address and determine what we could do as an administration. Since then, I'm proud to report a lot of work has taken place.

For example, in our Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Affairs agency will provide abortion care to veterans and family members to protect the health or life of the woman in cases of rape or incest.

An example of the work that is happening includes the Department of Education, which is making clear that it is against the law under Title IX to discriminate on the basis of pregnancy.

At the Department of Justice, we know that the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in Idaho to protect emergency medical care. And the Idaho federal court issued a preliminary injunction against the ban there.

It is important to know that if there were a national law that was passed in the United States Congress to protect reproductive care, so-called leaders then could not ban abortion, even in the cases of rape and incest. They could not criminalize providers. They could not limit access to contraception if Congress passed a law that protected these rights.

So it is important for everyone to know what is at stake. To stop and reverse these attacks on women, we need to pass such a national law. And so we need the American people to make their voices heard and take a stand on the right of all women to exercise their choice, to have access to reproductive healthcare.

And I'll close by mentioning that, as we know, Justice Clarence Thomas said the quiet part out loud in terms of the other rights that are also now at stake, such as access to contraception and same-sex marriage, marriage equality.

And we already see, by the way, our early warnings of that taking place. Take, for example, what's happening at the University of Idaho, which is refusing to provide contraception to their students. It's already starting.

So, again, this presents -- this issue -- a crisis, as it relates to healthcare in America. And in response, we will continue to do the work as an administration, including working with folks in our country to build a coalition around all folks who understand what is at stake for them and the people they love.

And with that, I will again thank Jen Klein for her work and -- and co-chair Secretary Becerra, and pass it back to you, Jen, to moderate the discussion.