US president Joe Biden signs order on abortion access after high court ruling

US president Joe Biden signs an executive order on abortion access during an event in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Picture: Evan Vucci/AP

US president Joe Biden has signed an executive order to protect access to abortion as he faced mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to be more forceful on the subject after the US Supreme Court ended a constitutional right to the procedure two weeks ago.

The actions he outlined are intended to mitigate some potential penalties women seeking abortion may face after the ruling but are limited in their ability to safeguard access to abortion nationwide.