Sen. Cory Booker proposed an office based in the White House to coordinate reproductive health issues across all federal agencies. | Win McNamee/Getty Images 2020 elections Booker proposes 'Office of Reproductive Freedom'

Sen. Cory Booker says he would create a “White House Office of Reproductive Freedom” if he were elected president and promised a series of executive actions he’d take to protect abortion rights.

Under an outline of a proposal made public by the 2020 aspirant on Wednesday, the office would be based in the White House and would focus on coordinating reproductive health issues across all federal agencies, including access to abortion, paid leave, maternal health care and education for employees in his administration. That office’s duties could range from identifying opportunities for executive orders addressing different agencies to finding discretionary funding for targeted purposes, according to the campaign.


Booker also promised to reverse Trump-era actions that cut off funding to the United Nations Population Fund and restrictions placed on some health care providers. And he said he would pursue legislation to protect abortion rights, including to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law. He vowed to restore federal funding under the Affordable Care Act for family planning and contraceptive coverage.

The promises from the New Jersey Democrat come in the wake of a rash of laws restricting abortions, including an Alabama law signed last week that would ban almost all abortions, with no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. Booker’s elevated the issue of abortion rights in his presidential campaign in recent days, including rallying on the steps of the Supreme Court and writing an open letter calling on men to engage on the issue. He also plans to make women’s health care central to the issues he discusses in an upcoming swing through Iowa this week.

“Republican-controlled state legislatures across the country are mounting a coordinated attack on abortion access and reproductive rights,” Booker said in a prepared statement. “A coordinated attack requires a coordinated response.”

