Biden Says Abortion Legislation Will Be Top Priority Next Year
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden told an audience at the Howard Theater on Tuesday that the first bill he will send to the 118th Congress will be one that codifies abortion protections into law.
In a speech clearly intended to energize the party’s base ahead of the November midterms, Biden repeatedly urged his listeners to remember how they felt the moment they heard the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that had protected women’s right to an abortion for 50 years.
Remember, he said, “the anger, the worry, the disbelief, the unbelievable fact that for the first time in our history, the Supreme Court didn’t just fail to preserve a constitutional freedom, it actually took away the right that was so fundamental to Americans.
“It took away a right,” he said, noting, “the fear that now that most personal [of] decisions may not only be made by the woman and her doctor, but by politicians … ”
Biden went on to say that one of the most extraordinary parts of the decision “was when the majority wrote, “Women are not without electoral or political power.”
“Let me tell you something — (laughs) — the court and the extreme Republicans who have spent decades trying to overturn Roe are about to find out,” he said.
“We’re only 22 days away from the most consequential election in our history, in my view — in recent history at least — elections where the choice and the stakes are crystal clear, especially when it comes to the right to choose,” the president said.
Time and again during his remarks, Biden slammed Republicans nationwide who have pushed for restrictions on abortion, often without exceptions.
He also made sure his listeners knew that “right now, we’re short a handful of votes” to pass federal protections for abortion.
“If you care about the right to choose, then you’ve got to vote,” the president said. “That’s why, in these midterm elections, it’s so critical to elect more Democratic senators to the United States Senate and more Democrats to keep control of the House of Representatives.
“If we do that, here’s the promise I make to you and the American people: The first bill that I will send to the Congress will be to codify Roe v. Wade,” Biden said as his remarks reached a crescendo. “And when Congress passes it, I’ll sign it in January, 50 years after Roe was first decided as the law of the land.”
For Biden to make good on the promises he made Tuesday, Democrats would have to retain control of the House and pick up seats in the Senate — an outcome that currently seems like a tall order.
While the right to abortion has been considered a key motivating factor for Democrats since the Supreme Court handed down its decision in June, the latest polls show the economy and inflation are the chief concerns of the voters who will decide the outcome of the election.
A CBS News/YouGov survey released Sunday found 65% of voters feel the economy is getting worse and 68% say the Biden administration could be doing more to combat inflation.
In a New York Times/Siena College poll released Monday, 64% of likely voters said the United States is heading in the wrong direction, ranking the economy (26%) and inflation (18%) as the top issues the country is facing.
No other issue came close, all coming in as the chief concern of 8% of voters or less. A separate, AP-NORC survey found 70% of the registered voters it talked to were dissatisfied with the current state of the nation.
Perhaps mindful of those polls, Biden acknowledged, “we know there’s much more progress that needs to be made.”
“In 2020, you voted and delivered the change you wanted to see in the world. In 2022, you need to exercise your power to vote again for the future of our nation and the future of your generation,” he said.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
