Joe Biden is continuing to look for “solutions” after the US Supreme Court overturned the right to access an abortion in a history-making decision that has divided opinion across the country.
The president has said his administration will look to police how states enforce bans on the procedure.
Some White House officials have already signalled plans to fight back against states trying to ban a pill used for medical abortions.
“The Supreme Court has made some terrible decisions,” Mr Biden said on Saturday.
“The decision is implemented by states. My administration is going to focus on how they administer and whether or not they violate other laws.”
The court’s ruling on Friday overturned the constitutional right to an abortion that has existed for almost 50 years following a legal case known as Roe v Wade.
Despite Mr Biden openly disagreeing with the “extreme” choice, his spokesperson said he still “respects” the Supreme Court and sees no need to expand its membership.
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Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Karine Jean-Pierre said: “When the president commented about the court’s ruling, it was about the decision.”
“He sees the court obviously as legitimate and he respects the court… it is a court that he highly respects.”
She added: “About expanding the court, that is something that the president does not agree with. That is not something that he wants to do.”
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Demonstrators from both sides descend
With a 6-3 conservative majority, the decision was made by just nine Supreme Court justices and will now see nearly half of all 50 states likely to implement an abortion ban.
Clinics in at least eight states – Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and West Virginia – have already stopped performing abortions as a result.
Pro-choice campaigners have denounced the decision, while pro-life activists have celebrated it, with hundreds of demonstrators from both sides descending on the Supreme Court in Washington for a second day to share their views.
Among the crowd, abortion opponents could be seen wearing T-shirts reading “I am the pro-life generation” and abortion rights supporters could be heard chanting “my body, my choice”.
In Mississippi, a state that has ruled to enforce a ban in just nine days, anti-abortion activists bombarded the only women’s health clinic that was still operational.
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Read more:
Roe v Wade: How did we get here?
What happens now – and why Supreme Court may not stop at abortion rights
Rape survivor considered taking her own life after getting pregnant
Hanging large posters reading “abortion is murder”, the protesters called to women waiting for appointments at Jackson Women’s Health Organisation, incorrectly telling them they were violating the law.
On Friday, a number of women shared their views on the ruling with Sky News correspondent Joe Pike, with some thanking God and others crying tears of despair.
Concerns have also been raised that the decision could lead to a ban on other constitutional rights.
Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas suggested the court’s reasoning could also lead it to reconsider past rulings
protecting the right to contraception, legalising gay marriage nationwide, and invalidating state laws banning gay sex.
