Karine Jean-Pierre (White House Press Secretary) stated that Tuesday’s statement by Karine Jean-Pierre indicated that the Biden administration would not entertain a far-left proposal for abortion services to be provided on federal land in the states where it is currently illegal.
“[W]e understand the proposal is well-intentioned, but here’s the thing: It could actually put women and providers at risk. And importantly, in states where abortion is now illegal, women and providers who are not federal employees, as you look at the federal land, could potentially be prosecuted,” Jean-Pierre said in a press briefing.
“As we understand why they would put forward this proposal, there’s actually dangerous ramifications to doing this,” she added.
Overturned by the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade Last Friday was the last day that states could fully control abortion laws. Treyteen states already have trigger laws in place, and other conservative states also have restrictive laws. Some trigger bans are currently being blocked by the courts, such as in Louisana or Texas. The Tennesseean reports that Tennessee’s 2020 injunction was overturned for the six-week ban on abortion.
The White House is responding to voices on the far-left, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), who said in a speech Friday night, Fox News reported: “Yeah, I’ll start with the babiest of the babiest of baby steps. Open abortion clinics on federal lands in red states right now!”
Jean-Pierre is not the first White House official to brush the idea aside, as Vice President Kamala Harris told CNN’s Dana Bash they were not considering the proposal on Monday.
This is a “broken clock” moment for the administration, as the concept is not realistic. According to The Hill, the press secretary said that President Joe Biden doesn’t support the Senate filibuster being eliminated and the Supreme Court packing. Moderates in the Senate like Sen. Krysten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) really hold the power in those scenarios, but the president’s lack of support speaks volumes as well. Both of these remarks from the press secretary revealed that the White House knows that its hands are tied–and its options are extremely limited.
Supreme Court made its ruling, and the Executive Branch has limited options to disregard it.
Setting up abortion clinics on federal land would put the states in an odd position in terms of enforcement, which is why the White House calls it “dangerous” in their view. The federal government owns 28 percent of land in the United States, but its uses are “primarily related to preservation, recreation, and development of natural resources”, according to a Congressional Research Service study from 2020.
Sensible people are both sides of the argument should understand that state laws should be respected, and if people want to see policy change, they’ll use the democratic processes this country provides to do so.
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