president biden He spent a lot of his State of the Union handle final week speaking about two points central to his reelection marketing campaign, whereas apparently making an attempt to not identify them. one was donald trump, or as Biden referred to as him, “my predecessor.” The opposite was abortion.
It’s no information that Biden, an 81-year-old religious Catholic, is uncomfortable talking about abortion rights, which he has supported for a few years, though not all the time enthusiastically. It took the president so lengthy to say the phrase after taking workplace that it impressed a satirical web site: didbidensayabortionyet.org.
Reset protections Roe v. Wade, which the Supreme Court docket overturned in 2022, was a key matter of his prime-time speech. Nevertheless, Biden managed to keep away from saying the phrase “abortion.” As an alternative, he referred to Republican assist for a “nationwide ban on reproductive freedom” and spoke of instances “the place reproductive freedom was on the poll.”
The phrase “abortion” appeared within the textual content ready for the speech in reference to the primary woman Jill Bidenthe visitor, Kate Cox. The Texas girl was denied an abortion below state legislation final 12 months after her fetus was identified with a terminal sickness. However when Biden acknowledged Cox throughout her speech, she mentioned Texas legislation “prohibited her capability to behave.”
Requested in a political occasion Wednesday how you’ll reply to individuals who wish to hear Biden say the phrase “abortion” extra typically, your home coverage adviser, Neera Tanden, mentioned: “Look, he’ll say 'abortion'. She mentioned it just some weeks in the past.”
“For me,” he added, “actions communicate louder than phrases.”
Biden ignores his discomfort with the phrase of abortion rights defenderswho say there isn’t a doubt that it’s a precedence for the president and his administration.
“Have a look at the place I used to be within the speech,” he mentioned. Christina Reynolds of Emily's Record, a PAC that seeks to elect ladies who assist abortion rights. Reproductive rights ranked second in Biden's feedback, surpassed solely by a warning about threats to Ukraine, democracy and free elections.
The Biden administration “has legislative accomplishments they will level to” on the difficulty, Reynolds mentioned, together with authorized measures to defend entry to the abortion capsule mifepristone and medical doctors' tasks below the Emergency Medical Therapy and Energetic Labor Act; enable members of the army depart and journey funding to acquire abortions if they’re stationed in states with bans; and permitting Veterans Affairs to offer abortion counseling.
On Monday, whereas presenting Biden's fiscal 12 months 2025 well being care funds, Well being and Human Companies Secretary Xavier Becerra repeatedly talked about the proper to abortion. His spouse is an obstetrician specializing in high-risk pregnancies.
“We’re doing what we will to satisfy the mission that the president gave us to make sure that everybody in America has entry to the well being care they want,” he instructed reporters.
Price range highlights: Like different Democratic presidents, Biden goals to finish the Hyde Modification, the outdated appropriations language that typically prohibits federal tax cash from getting used to offer abortions. Republicans yearly make sure that the availability stays in US legislation.
And Biden additionally proposed rising funding for Title Household planning and different reproductive well being care suppliers, though they are saying the rise is insufficient.
“No matter how Joe Biden feels about [abortion] Personally,” Reynolds mentioned, “I clearly imagine it ought to be the lady's resolution.”
This text will not be out there for distribution resulting from republication restrictions. In case you have questions concerning the availability of this or different content material for republication, please contact NewsWeb@kff.org.