[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 25, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 4719-4720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-01599]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 16 / Wednesday, January 25, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 4719]]

                Proclamation 10515 of January 20, 2023

                
50th Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Decision

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Fifty years ago, on January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court 
                issued its landmark 7-2 decision in Roe v. Wade, 
                protecting a woman's constitutional right to choose. 
                This case reaffirmed basic principles of equality, 
                reinforced the fundamental right to privacy, and 
                resolved that women in this country could control their 
                own destinies--making deeply personal decisions free 
                from political interference.

                The Court got Roe right 50 years ago. It was a balanced 
                decision with broad national consensus that the 
                majority of Americans have continued to support for the 
                last 50 years. And it was a constitutional principle 
                upheld by justices appointed by Democratic and 
                Republican Presidents alike.

                But 7 months ago, a conservative majority on the 
                Supreme Court overturned Roe. Never before has the 
                Court taken away a right so fundamental to Americans. 
                In doing so, it put the health and lives of women 
                across this Nation at risk. The Supreme Court opened 
                the door for new challenges to other fundamental 
                freedoms, including access to contraception and the 
                right to marry whom you love. Millions of women now 
                live in States with extreme bans on abortion, many 
                without exceptions for rape and incest, or, where 
                doctors can be jailed for providing reproductive care. 
                Today, trailblazers who fought heroically for the Roe 
                v. Wade decision are watching the next generation grow 
                up without its protections.

                On what would have been the 50th anniversary of 
                protections under Roe v. Wade, my Administration is 
                resolute in its commitment to defending reproductive 
                rights and continuing our Nation's progress toward 
                equality for all. In response to the Court's extreme 
                Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, 
                I issued Executive Orders to ensure that patients 
                receive care during medical emergencies; to protect 
                access to contraception and abortion services, 
                including access to medication approved by the Food and 
                Drug Administration; and to improve the safety of 
                patients, providers, and clinics. My Administration is 
                helping to safeguard patients' privacy over their 
                health data and is ensuring that women everywhere have 
                access to accurate information about their reproductive 
                rights. I also created an Interagency Task Force on 
                Reproductive Healthcare Access to lead our Government-
                wide response. And senior Administration leaders, 
                including Vice President Kamala Harris, have traveled 
                the country listening to women, health care providers, 
                legal experts, and State and local officials to ensure 
                that our efforts are reaching those most in need of 
                support.

                Since the Court's decision to overturn Roe, Americans 
                across the country--from California to Kansas to 
                Michigan--have made clear at the ballot box that they 
                believe the right to choose is fundamental and should 
                be preserved. Still, we know that the only way to truly 
                secure the right to choose is for the Congress to 
                codify the protections of Roe v. Wade. I continue to 
                call on the Congress to pass legislation to make those 
                protections the law of the land once and for all. Until 
                then, I will continue to use my Executive authority to 
                protect women and families from harm in the wake of the 
                Dobbs decision.

[[Page 4720]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 22, 
                2023, as the 50th Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade 
                Decision. I call upon Americans to honor generations of 
                advocates who have fought for reproductive freedom, to 
                recognize the countless women whose lives and futures 
                have been saved and shaped by the Roe v. Wade decision, 
                and to march forward with purpose as we work together 
                to restore the right to choose.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-01599
Filed 1-24-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P