Democratic senators call on Biden to 'declare a public health emergency' now that Roe v. Wade 'is gone'

• Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith called on Biden to take action on the abortion ruling.
• "The danger is real, and Democrats must meet it with the urgency it deserves," they wrote in an NYT op-ed on Saturday.

US Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tina Smith of Minnesota are calling on President Joe Biden to "declare a public health emergency," following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

In an op-ed for the New York Times on Saturday, the Democratic senators said that "with the release of the Dobbs decision," the US is facing " a perilous time that threatens millions of women across this nation."

"We urge the president to declare a public health emergency to protect abortion access for all Americans, unlocking critical resources and authority that states and the federal government can use to meet the surge in demand for reproductive health services. The danger is real, and Democrats must meet it with the urgency it deserves," Warren and Smith wrote.

The senators blamed the reversal of Roe v. Wade on "right-wing politicians and their allies" who they said "have spent decades scheming."

"Passing state laws to restrict access to abortion care. Giving personhood rights to fertilized eggs. Threatening to criminalize in vitro fertilization. Offering bounties for reporting doctors who provide abortion services. Abusing the filibuster and turning Congress into a broken institution," they listed in the op-ed, adding the advancement of judicial nominees who "winked at their Republican sponsors in the Senate."

Speaking outside the Massachusetts State House shortly after Roe v Wade was overturned, Sen. Warren slammed the conservative majority on the court who reversed the landmark 1973 decision.

"Six extremists on the United States Supreme Court have decided that they can force all of America to bend to their personal religious and moral views," she said.

"The Supreme Court has spoken: Roe is gone. But the Supreme Court doesn't get the final say on abortion. The American people will have the last word through their representatives in Congress and the White House," Warren and Smith said in their op-ed.