President harris for meeting todays meeting and thanks to you, all of you, especially health and Human Services secretary researcher and director of the gender policy council, jan klein for co chairing this task force, an attorney general, garland, Homeland Security secretary, mayorkas and Veterans Affairs secretary mcdonough for your work on this task force to protect access to a womans right to choose Reproductive Health care. In the wake of the Supreme Courts extreme decision of wiping out a 50 year constitutional president of roe v wade. You know, i created this task force by executive order last month and to ensure that every part of the federal government does its part at this critical moment where Womens Health and lives are on the line. Miss chaos and uncertainty unleashed by this decision. Emergency medical care being denied to women experiencing miss characters. Doctors uncertain about what they can do to provide for the patients. Pharmacists unsure whether they can fill prescriptions that theyve always filled before. A tragic case of rape survivors, including a 10 Year Old Girl forced to travel to another state for care. You know, wiping out the right to choose on whether you have incest or having a rape or i mean it just this is just extreme, you know, even the life of the mother is in question in some cases in some states, Republican Congress in the extreme mag ideology are determined to go even further talking about nationwide bands on that with outlaw abortion in every state and every circumstance going after the broader right to privacy as well. But as i said before this fight is not over and we saw that last night in kansas, in the opinion of people, the opinion of the dobbs case. The extreme majority of the Supreme Court wrote women. This is a quote from that case. Women are not without electoral or political power. Unquote court practically dared women in this country to go to the ballot box and restore the right to choose. That the court had just ripped away after 50 years. As i said last night, last month, i dont think the court has any notion for that matter or the Republican Party for that matter to decide how far it compressed the extreme agenda and how women are going to respond. I dont have a clue about the power of american women. Last night in congress and kansas, they found out women and men did exercise their electoral political power with a record turnout, voters of kansas defeated the Ballot Initiative to remove the right to choose an abortion from the kansas constitutions in the kansas constitution. Theyre trying to strike it and eliminate it from the kansas constitution and a decisive vote in the decisive victory. Voters made it clear that politicians should not interfere with the fundamental rights of women. The voters of kansas sent a powerful signal at this fall. The American People will vote to preserve and protect the right and refuse to let them be ripped away by politicians and my administration has their back. No. Today im signing a second executive order. Im about to sign that responds to the Health Care Crisis that has unfolded since the Supreme Court overturned road. And that women are facing all across america Health Care Crisis is, you know, its hard for me to even understand how they think this Health Care Crisis is. Women cant get, cant choose cant get an abortion even in the case of incest, even in the case of rape. But it goes beyond that. There are a lot of women who take prescriptions prescribed by their doctors have been taking for some time for other conditions for arthritis for epilepsy for diseases. And in many cases these prescriptions are not being filled, say 25 year old woman. Her doctor prescribes medication for epilepsy has been doing it for a while. She goes to the pharmacy, the pharmacist wont fill the prescription because the same medicine could also cause a miscarriage. So shes not getting the medicines for epilepsy, whether shes pregnant or not. The pharmacy has no great to do that. Just yesterday in idaho, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit to make sure that pregnant women facing serious threats to their health can get the medical care they need in medicare funded emergency routes under federal law, no woman whether pregnant or not, no matter where she lives, should be turned away and denied necessary treatment during the medical crisis. Justice department stepped in to make sure that this extreme state law criminalizing abortion does not put Womens Health and lives at risk in these situations. You know, this executive order also helps women travel out of state for medical care. Secretary for sarah is going to work with states through the medicaid to allow them to provide Reproductive Health care for women who live in states where abortions where are being banned in that state executive order, make sure Health Care Providers comply with federal laws and women dont face delays or denials of medically necessary care. And this executive order Advances Research and Data Collection to evaluate the impact of this Reproductive Health crisis thats having on Maternal Health and other Health Conditions and outcomes. This executive order builds on the first one i signed last month that created this task force in the first place and that also will help safeguard access to health care, including the right to choose and contraception, promote safety and security of clinics, patients and providers protect patients privacy and access to accurate information. Let me close this beyond the actions youre taking. I know that along with kamala, many of you have been traveling the country listening to Women Healthcare providers, legal experts, state and local officials and legislators and others so that we are doing all we can in my administration to protect the rights of health and safety of the people of this country. You know, their perspectives are going to inform the work of this task force and the recommendations you make to me, i believe roe got it right has been the law for close to 50 years. And i commit to the American People that were doing everything in our power to safeguard access to health care, including the right to choose that women had under roe v wade, which was ripped away by this extreme court. But ultimately but ultimately Congress Must codify the protections of roe as federal law. And if Congress Fails to act, the people of this country, need to elect senators and representatives who restore a roe and will protect the right to privacy. Freedom and equality. Ill stop there and turn this over to the Vice President. Theres so much more to say, but im anxious to hear from all of you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Do i sign this order now . Im gonna sign this executive order right now. Okay. Ok, folks, weve got a lot of work to do. But, madam Vice President , im sure you can get it done sitting there with all those folks. Thank you. I wish i were with you in person quite frankly, but im getting there. Youre on mute. I cant hear you. V. P. Harris we feel your presence, mr. President. Pres. Biden well, i wish i would. Thank you. V. P. Harris well, President Joe Biden has set the tone for our administration from the very beginning from the time that an opinion was leaked to the time the Dobbs Decision came down and our president has been a leader in saying that the women of america should be protected. Their right to make decisions about their ownies should be a own bodies should be a matter that we all defend, understanding that the government should not be in the business of making those decisions for the women of america. Our administration has been very as has clear by the leaders who at this table that we trust the judgment of the women of america to make decisions based on what they know is in their best interest. We trust the women of america to make those decisions if she chooses in consultation with her faith leader, with her physician, with her loved one. But we understand fully the government should not be making that decision for her. And it is with that spirit that the president has convened this task force of these leaders to ensure that we have a whole of government approach to our work understanding that every day in america, especially with these extremist so called leaders in states passing these laws, show laws, some of which will criminalize Health Care Providers and punish women that we do everything in our power and our ability based on our role to ensure that we protect the women of america around some of the most intimate decisions that any human being can make. So it is in that spirit and purpose convened. We will be engaged in an indepth discussion about the role of various agencies and cabinet members and their role. As president said the people of kansas spoke yesterday, and they spoke loud and clear. They said this is not a partisan issue. The women of america should not be the subject of partisan debate or perspective. The people of kansas spoke and said this is a matter of defense , of basic principles of liberty and freedom in america. I they spoke loudly in saying that they trust women to make decisions. , and they said government should not be mandating those decisions for the women of america. So today we are prepared to do the work that is necessary. We will discuss what we have done so far as it administration and we will discuss what we are prepared to do moving forward. I have been traveling the country in recent weeks talking with a particular communitybased leaders, Health Care Providers, state legislatures and state legislators, i have convened faithbased leaders, Community Rights activists, people from various sectors of our country to talk about this issue, and i will tell you people are scared. When they look at these laws that are being passed and they understand what it means for themselves or someone they love, they are concerned, they are confused. When you look at a map, which i have here somewhere, in terms of what this means in our country. I do not have the map at the moment. My staff will tell me where that map is at the moment. [laughter] there is a need for clarity around the rights of individuals and states in this moment, so general Merrick Garland will talk about what the department of justice is prepared to do. We know there are concerns about the kind of support that is available in terms of federal resources to the various states that are protecting the rights of women and what our administration can do to support that. We will be discussing what we need to do to address the profound misinformation and disinformation that is out there and can only drive in an environment where there is confusion about what is the right approach and what is the law. These are some of the topics that we will be discussing all convened with an understanding and appreciation for the fact that this is the president has said represents a Health Care Crisis in america where women every day in our country who have not even voted in an election understand what is at stake for themselves, their family and their future. So with that i think all of the leaders are here, i look forward to our discussion and because i promise i have a map i will show you that map. You do not need to necessarily read the words on the map. You can see the color coding to understand this map represents our Current Assessment of the various laws that exist right now in these United States of america. Different approaches in different states to this issue, which some might argue as been by design to intentionally confuse people about their rights, but what in fact it has done without any question is made to clear that the president s leadership, the leadership of the president s cabinet and all of us at this table is critically necessary at this moment. So with that, i thank everyone for being here and and i will now turn it over to uh are the head of our gender policy council, jen klein, thank you. Thank you so much. Vice president harris and thank you all for being here today. I am going to move us quickly to my co chair, secretary becerra to talk about the work that youve been doing over at hhs and what youre planning to do, do. Mr. President , madam Vice President , thank you for setting us on a course. Thank you for giving us direction immediately and thank you for being so prominent and vociferous in explaining how important it is to make sure we are protecting the rights of all americans, but especially women. I am thrilled to have an opportunity to co chair along with my partner jen klein. This task force. Thank you jen for the work that you have done over the years. And certainly now as the co chair on this task force to my fellow colleagues on the cabinet and the members of the administration for springing to action so quickly we say, thank you very much. I know we speak for so many people who are waiting for us to do everything we can since the Supreme Courts misguided decision put the lives of millions of americans, our fellow americans at risk and stripped away freedom and autonomy. Weve all had to take action and i know that weve all heard from whether its patients, doctors, family members, friends, everyone is concerned at hhs we heard those voices. We heeded the president and the Vice President s call for action , immediately upon the issuance of the Dobbs Decision, we launched the reproductive rights dot gov website. We were concerned and afraid that Something Like this might happen. So we put up that website as quickly as we could to make sure that people were not confused. They knew their rights. And we provided as much information and direction as we could immediately for people who were enquiring. Weve gone on to protect patient privacy interests and to protect patients and providers from discrimination by issuing guidance. We recently did that by issuing guidance to roughly 60,000 us retail pharmacies. We did it by notifying all Health Insurance carriers uh reminding them of their obligation to respect the civil rights of all americans and to not discriminate in the dispensation of services and care to all patients. We released our draft rule on nondiscrimination healthcare last week. And just because your state has decided to restrict your access to health care does not mean your privacy can be tossed to the wind or you can be discriminated against. We have issued guidance on the emergency medical treatment and active labor act, which i know that the attorney general will speak more to to affirm that that law protects Emergency Department providers when offering legally mandated life or Health Saving Abortion Services in emergency situations. And tola requires that providers exercise their clinical judgment about right the right course of treatment to stabilize the patient, including abortion care, if thats the treatment that the provider prescribes. And the law requires providers to offer stabilizing treatment to prevent a patients condition from placing that patient in jeopardy, serious jeopardy or at risk of serious impairment or dysfunction of functions or any organ. Providers may not delay care until a woman is in a life threatening condition. We all know that and we know that delayed care can threaten lives, impair essential functions, and even compromise a womans ability in the future to carry a healthy pregnancy to term. I want to thank attorney general garland for this week, taking action to enforce tola in our courts to protect womens access to care by taking on anyone who would try to violate this law. We still have much to do and were going to continue forward including for example, in making sure medication abortion is available to women throughout this country and we wont stop. We were given direction early on by the president and Vice President. We will continue to move forward. Turn it back to you, jen. Thank you, secretary becerra. And now id like to turn to the attorney general. Thank you. President. Thank you. President biden. Thank you. Vice president harris bringing us together today. In the fives weeks since the Supreme Court overturned roe and casey legislators have taken efforts to ban abortions with devastating cuts once is for Womens Health, safety, and civil rights. We know that the harms caused by these laws have been and will continue to be especially severe for people of color and for those of limited means. So today as jobs was decided the Justice Department has made clear that we will be relentless in our efforts to protect and advance reproductive freedom. As we have said repeatedly women who reside in states that have banned access to abortion must remain free to seek that care in states where it is equal. Under fundamental First Amendment symbols people must remain free to inform and cancel each other about the reproductive care that is available in other states. States may not ban abortion medication or disagreement with the fdas judgment about its efficacy and safety, and federal agencies may continue to provide Reproductive Health services to the extent authorized by federal law. Last week i also said the department is digitally monitoring state laws and Enforcement Actions to ensure that states do not infringe on federal protections of reproductive rights, and i said when they do we will consider every jewel at our disposal, including filing affirmative statements, statements of interest and intervening and private litigation. Yesterday the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the state of ohio idaho by Holding Unlawful the application of a ban on abortions as a result of women separate medical emergencies. As we explained our complaint idahos neartotal band on abortion directly conflicts with the immediacy immediate emergency medical act. Two people suffering from an emergency medical condition. As i said when we announced the suit, it does not matter what state a hospital subject to the act is in. If a patient comes into an emergency room with a medical emergency jeopardizing the patients life or health the hospital must provide the treatment necessary to stabilize that condition. This includes abortion when that is the necessary treatment. Any state law that prevents hospital from fulfilling its obligations violates federal law. The Justice Department will also be filing a motion to dismiss the texas lawsuit challenging hhss guidance. The law could not be clearer, and we are going to vigorously litigate this suit to ensure women get the Emergency Care to which they are entitled under federal law. Led by the associate attorney general the departments Reproductive Rights Task force will build on efforts to protect reproductive freedom. Its work includes monitoring state laws that infringe on federal constitutional protections, evaluating appropriate actions in response to those laws including filing lawsuits and statements of interest and coordinating Technical Assistance to both congress and the states on the federal constitution and statutory considerations. Five weeks ago i promised that the Justice Department would work tirelessly to protect reproductive freedom and we would not waiver from our founding responsibility to protect the civil rights of all americans. That is what we have done, and that is what we will continue to do. Thank you. Thank you so much, attorney general garland. There is supposed to be through the miracles of allergy secretary mcdonough. Over to you, sir. Thank you, jen, very much and that in mr. President , if you were still there thank you for the opportunity to be with you. I want to congratulate you all past the past act pact act and the senate. It is a very important day for veterans, survivors, and we members. As you know among the conditions covered presumptively covered by the pact act are cancers, our troops, men and women, including Women Veterans, the Fastest Growing cohort, 300,000 of childbearing age. Among conditions governing this new luck will be cancer, and last month are excellent lead researcher and oncologist briefed us on the progress we are making treating cancer. A reasonable question is, and frankly i questioned our press court is whether Women Veterans whose cancer is connected to her service can have access to the cutting edge, lifesaving treatment that we provide or will because of jobs and associated state lot requirements, will she have to wait nine months to get access to lifesaving treatment and lifesaving care . These are the Patient Safety issues that we deal with in v. A. Every day of the type that you will discuss, and it is very helpful for us at v. A. To have the opportunity to get together with this team in the cabinet and your experts to help us with those questions. Madame Vice President , mr. President , thank you very much for getting us together today to read all of these questions and to ensure that we can provide that lifesaving care, that lifesaving treatment to our veterans, including our Fastest Growing cohort of veterans, Women Veterans. Thank you very much. Thank you, sec. Mcdonough. Now we are going to transition to the close portion of a senator madam president. The presiding officer the senator from missouri. Mrha
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