Joe Biden pledges million-dollar package for abortion rights

Joe Biden has signed an executive order setting aside $US200m ($305.6m) for female health initiatives in a move he hopes will persuade women to back him for a second term.

US President Joe Biden after signing an executive order aimed at advancing the study of women's health, in the White House on Monday. Picture: AFP

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order setting aside $US200m ($305.6m) for female health initiatives in a move he hopes will persuade women to back him for a second term.

The money is to be spent next year by federal agencies on better understanding women’s issues, including sexual and reproductive health. Mr Biden has also sent a $US12bn package to congress to expand women’s healthcare.

The bill is highly unlikely to be passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

Addressing a group of influential women at the White House, Mr Biden said: “If you want to have the strongest economy in the world, you can’t leave half the country behind.”

He stressed that abortion “is on the ballot” in November’s presidential election, urging voters to send a Democrat-controlled congress to Washington so he could enshrine abortion protections into federal law.

Mr Biden, 81, won 55 per cent of the female vote in 2020 and is hoping that by prioritising women’s health, an area that has long been underfunded according to official data, he can rely on women to propel him to a second term. Donald Trump, 77, the Republican candidate and Mr Biden’s rival in 2020, won a small majority of white women last time.

Women’s health issues, and particularly abortion, look likely to play a significant role in the election. Democrats have seized on reports that Mr Trump will back an abortion ban, which his campaign has not rebutted.

He is reported to favour a 16-week ban, with exceptions in cases of incest, rape and where the mother’s life is in danger.

Any proposal for a federal ban during a second Trump term would require approval by congress, which means the Republicans would almost certainly need to wrestle back control of the Senate and hold the House.

Mr Trump told Fox News at the weekend he would outline his position soon. Many in the ­Republican Party favour outright bans, a policy polls indicate is unpopular with most voters.

The Times