Biden to Pledge Codifying Abortion Rights if Democrats Expand Majorities - The New York Times

Politics|Biden Says Codifying Roe Will Be a Priority if Democrats Expand Majorities

• Oct. 18, 2022Updated 1:59 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON — President Biden pledged connected Tuesday that the archetypal measure helium would nonstop to Congress adjacent twelvemonth if Democrats clasp House power and grow their Senate bulk would beryllium to codify termination rights crossed the country.

The committedness comes arsenic the White House and Democratic candidates person been progressively focused connected protecting termination entree earlier the midterm elections adjacent month, seeking to broaden enactment among women and autarkic voters. Mr. Biden said this summertime that helium supported ending the filibuster to support a woman’s close to an termination and a broader law close to privacy.

“If you attraction astir the close to choose, you got to vote,” Mr. Biden said astatine an lawsuit hosted by the Democratic National Committee astatine the Howard Theatre successful Washington.

Surrounded by activists holding signs that work “Defend Choice” and “Restore Roe,” Mr. Biden laid retired what was astatine involvement successful the midterm elections, casting them arsenic a prime betwixt Republicans who person called for a nationalist termination prohibition and Democrats who privation to support reproductive freedom.

“If Republicans get their mode with a nationalist ban, it won’t substance wherever you unrecorded successful America,” the president said.

He assailed “extremist” Republicans who helium said wanted to further curtail termination rights. He pointed to authorities introduced precocious by Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, that would institute a national prohibition connected abortions aft 15 weeks of pregnancy. Mr. Biden insisted that specified policies would ne'er beryllium enacted nether his watch.

“If specified a measure were to walk successful the adjacent respective years, I’ll veto it,” the president said. “But we can’t fto it walk successful the archetypal instance.”

Abortion rights person been a cardinal absorption of governmental campaigns since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade successful June, ending the law close to terminate a pregnancy.

Most abortions are present banned successful astatine slightest 14 states, and different states are engaged successful ineligible fights implicit access. Biden medication officials estimation that astir 30 cardinal women of reproductive property unrecorded successful a authorities with a prohibition and that astir 22 cardinal women cannot entree termination attraction aft six weeks.

Mr. Biden unveiled new measures this period to effort to support termination access. He directed the Education Department to punctual universities that they cannot discriminate against students connected the ground of pregnancy, including if a gestation has been terminated. The Department of Health and Human Services besides announced $6 cardinal successful grants to grow entree to household readying clinics that person Title X national funding.

In his code connected Tuesday, Mr. Biden said that if Congress passed authorities to codify termination rights, helium would motion it adjacent year, astir the 50th day of the Roe decision. He besides tried to recapture the fervor that gripped Democrats past summertime aft the determination by the court.

“I privation to punctual america each however we felt that day,” helium said. “The anger, the worry, the disbelief.”

It is not wide that Democrats’ absorption connected termination is resonating. A New York Times/Siena poll released this week recovered that the system was a acold much important contented to voters and that women who identified arsenic autarkic voters were swinging sharply successful favour of Republicans.

Reproductive rights groups specified arsenic the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Emily’s List and NARAL Pro-Choice America person spent $150 cardinal to mobilize voters astir the state successful the run-up to the elections.

“We indispensable nonstop Democratic pro-choice candidates to Congress who volition enactment alongside the Biden medication to support reproductive state and indispensable wellness attraction for tens of millions crossed the country,” Laphonza Butler, the president of Emily’s List, said successful a statement.

Groups that reason termination said connected Tuesday that Mr. Biden’s remarks raised the stakes for Republicans to crook retired successful higher numbers astatine the polls adjacent month.

“The stakes of the midterm elections could not beryllium higher,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. “President Biden is making wide contiguous person that if Democrats power Congress successful 2023, they volition destruct the filibuster and walk their abortion-on-demand-until-birth enactment to mandate termination connected request successful each 50 states. We promote pro-life Republicans to support going connected discourtesy to exposure this extremist position.”