U.S. eyes emergency contraception grants if top court cuts abortion rights

[May 05, 2022]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden's administration was looking at grants to help fund expanding access to emergency contraception as a possible response if the Supreme Court overturns a 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Wednesday.

"What we have done to date ... where we have seen restrictions ... is created for example the dire need grant awards, which provide funding to expand access to emergency contraception," Psaki told reporters in a press briefing.
 

A draft U.S. Supreme Court decision, leaked late on Monday, showed a majority of justices prepared to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that protects abortion rights. The court on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of the leaked document.

President Joe Biden appealed to voters on Tuesday to protect abortion rights by backing candidates who support them in November's mid-term elections.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Washington; writing by Kanishka Singh; editing by Chris Reese and David Gregorio)

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