Biden: First abortion rights bill if we win midterms

Three weeks before the midterm elections, US President Joe Biden pledged today that the first bill on the congressional agenda, if the Democrats win, will guarantee abortion rights.

“And, if Congress approves it, I will sign it in January,” Biden said.

At the same time, he vowed to veto if Republicans regain control of Congress in the Nov. 8 election and attempt to ban abortion at the federal level.

Democrats may lose control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate. Biden, seeking to unite the party and his supporters around the issue of abortion, said in a speech to party members at Washington’s historic Howard Theater that if Democrats elect more senators and retain control of the House, he will sign a law codifying the 1973 Roe v. Wade court decision.

“This is my promise to you and to the American people: the first bill I will send to Congress will be to codify Roe v. Wade,” the Supreme Court’s half-century-old decision that was overturned this summer by the conservative majority of this body. “I want you to remember that the Court does not have the last word now. It is not up to the extremist Republicans in Congress. The final say on your right to choose is yours. And if you do your part and vote, I promise you we will do our part. I will do my part,” he continued.

In his speech, Biden invoked a sentence from the Supreme Court ruling that women have voting and political power and suggested they could mobilize and elect lawmakers who would protect their right to abortion. “I will tell you something. The court and the hard-line Republicans who spent decades trying to overturn Roe will find out,” he said.

Following the recent Supreme Court decision, abortion bans have been imposed in 16 states.

The Democrats have a slim majority in the House. In the Senate, they control 50 of the 100 seats, and in the event of a tie, Vice President Kamala Harris decides the outcome. Even if they retain control of the House, they need to significantly increase their strength in the Senate, since the rules state that a supermajority of 60 votes is needed to pass the law.

But while abortion plays an important role for Democrats in the midterm elections, a poll by Reuters and Ipsos shows that Americans are more concerned about inflation. Nationally, only 8% of Americans said the issue of abortion rights would determine their vote. By comparison, 27% said their vote would depend on inflation. 20% of Democratic women said the legalization of abortion is the main issue that will decide their vote in November, while 22% said inflation will play a dominant role. For Democratic men, these percentages are 9% and 19% respectively.

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