Biden will reportedly pledge to codify Roe v. Wade if Democrats hold Congress
President Biden is expected to commit Tuesday to codifying abortion rights if Democrats are able to hold onto their Congressional majorities in the upcoming midterms, a Democratic official told The New York Times.
The president will reportedly lay out what he believes is at stake in the midterms, and the Democratic official says Biden will paint the GOP as the party of a national abortion ban.
Biden will then reportedly pledge to make an abortion protection bill the first legislation he would send to Congress if both chambers remain under Democratic control. Currently, the Democrats have a lead in the House, and a slim majority protected by the tiebreaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris in the Senate.
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Biden's commitment comes as Democrats have been pushing abortion rights as a key issue, especially since the Supreme Court struck down the protections of Roe v. Wade this summer. As a result, the Times noted that abortion is now banned in 14 states, with a slew of others working to try and strip away rights.
"Right now, we're short a handful of votes," Biden said during a speech earlier this month. "The only way it's going to happen is if the American people make it happen."
However, despite Biden's insistence, it may be a moot point if Democrats relinquish control of Congress. While FiveThirtyEight has Democrats projected to keep the Senate, it's also forecasting a 72 percent chance of the GOP taking over the House.
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Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
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