South Dakota governor announces plans for special session this year after SCOTUS decision

In the wake of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade, the Congressional Black Caucus, led by Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, is calling on President Biden to declare a national emergency.

The statement said the decision to restrict access to abortion care “will disproportionately endanger the lives of Black Americans.”

“We have seen what life was like pre-Roe v. Wade, and America cannot afford to go back,” the statement added.

Who gets abortions: Black women are three times more likely than White women to die of pregnancy-related complications, encounter racism from health care providers at higher rates, face unequal pay and are more likely than their White counterparts to lack health insurance.

Abortion rights advocates say the pay disparity alone hampers Black women’s ability to secure affordable childcare and housing. And there are no federal laws that mandate paid maternity leave. Activists also argue that there has been little movement on federal police reform that they say would create safer environments for Black women to raise their children.

Some context: CNN has previously reported that Biden’s administration has been working for months in preparation for the expected decision by the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

Options for moves Biden could take include executive action that could make it easier for women to travel to receive abortions in states where the procedure is still legal or expanding access to medication abortion through the mail. Some advocates have also suggested leasing federal land for abortion clinics, bypassing state laws that restrict them.

CNN’s Nicquel Terry Ellis contributed to this report