Cory Booker, the Democratic senator from New Jersey and 2020 hopeful, released a statement to the Huffington Post promising to protect reproductive rights via executive action as president. How soon? His very first day of office, if elected.
Specifically, he hopes to make a White House Office of Reproductive Freedom. The goal here would be to better healthcare access in general, as well as to protect and advance reproductive rights. Remember that Booker recently teamed up with Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts on a maternal mortality bill, with a particular focus on protections for women of color.
And he isn’t shying away from mentioning abortion. He clarified that he would work on legislation “to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law.”
“Republican-controlled state legislatures across the country are mounting a coordinated attack on abortion access and reproductive rights. A coordinated attack requires a coordinated response,” Booker said in his statement as reported by the HuffPost. “That’s why on day one of my presidency, I will immediately and decisively take executive action to respond to these relentless efforts to erode Americans’ rights to control their own bodies.”
He also knows that it’s not a short-term game; these protections go beyond the Trump administration. “My goal with these actions isn’t just to undo the damage the Trump administration and Republican state legislatures and governors have caused, but to affirmatively advance reproductive rights and expand access to reproductive care for all,” he continued.
Yesterday, thousands rallied across the country in defense of fair, safe, and accessible abortion. The #StopTheBans rallies attracted many Democrats, including Booker himself. Others gunning for the nomination who attended rallies include Amy Klobuchar, Kirsten Gillibrand, Eric Swalwell, Pete Buttigieg, and Bernie Sanders.
In terms of policy, Elizabeth Warren has also released a plan that calls for Congress to protect abortion rights on the federal level.