President Joe Biden predicted on Friday that some states will try to arrest women who cross state lines to obtain abortions, following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to the procedure nationwide.
After the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision last week, thirteen Republican-led states banned or severely restricted the procedure under so-called ‘trigger laws.’ Women seeking abortions in those states may have to travel to states where abortion is still legal.
On Friday, during a virtual meeting with Democratic state governors on abortion rights, Biden stated that ‘people are going to be shocked when the first state… tries to arrest a woman for crossing a state line to get health services.’
He continued: ‘And I don’t think anyone believes that will happen. But it will happen, and it will send a message to the entire country that this is a huge deal that goes beyond; I mean, it affects all of your basic rights.’
Biden said the federal government will act to protect women who need to cross state lines to get an abortion and ensure their access to medication in states where it’s banned.
New Mexico’s governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, told the meeting her state ‘will not cooperate’ on any attempts to track down women who have had abortions to punish them. ‘We will not extradite,’ she said.
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