WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden faces increased pressure from abortion rights groups to support expanding the size of the Supreme Court and federal legislation to ensure abortion access after the conservative-controlled court allowed a controversial Texas law to take effect this week.
The Texas law prohibits abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected, roughly six weeks into a pregnancy. Advocates say it represents the most expansive state-level restriction to abortion access since the procedure was legalized by the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
In a statement, Biden hammered the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision on the Texas law, a move he said “unleashes constitutional chaos.” He promised a “whole-of-government” response to what he called an “unprecedented assault” on women’s rights.
