The Department of Justice announced Tuesday it has established a task force to “identify ways to protect access” to abortion.
The “Reproductive Rights Task Force” formalizes similar efforts that were already underway by the department and an existing working group leading up to the Supreme Court’s overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade and 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decisions on June 24.
Roe v. Wade prohibited states from banning abortions prior to when the fetus is deemed “viable”—deemed at around 24 weeks of pregnancy. Planned Parenthood v. Casey reaffirmed the Roe ruling and prohibited laws that place an “undue burden” on a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion. The rulings had largely enabled abortions up until 24 weeks across the country for up to five decades, overturning state laws….