President Joe Biden supported a constitutional right to abortion and urged the election of more lawmakers who support abortion rights in response to a report that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
Biden said in a statement released by the White House that a woman's right to choose is fundamental, that Roe has been the law of the land for almost fifty years, and that basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned.
Politico published on Monday night a draft opinion indicating that the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade, which established a constitutional right to abortion nearly 50 years ago. Biden said he didn't know whether the draft was authentic or reflected the final decision of the Court.
Biden said his administration would be prepared to respond to the court overturn Roe, a possibility that Democrats have been preparing for in recent months.
Biden said that we will be ready when a decision is made.
In anticipation of a ruling by the court and following a Texas law that restricts abortions, Biden has already directed his Gender Policy Council and White House Counsel's Office to prepare options for an Administration response to the continued attack on abortion and reproductive rights. Biden argued in defense of Roe before the Supreme Court, saying the decision was based on a long line of precedent recognizing the Fourteenth Amendment's concept of personal liberty against government interference with intensely personal decisions. The Senate currently does not have enough votes to pass legislation protecting abortion access, which is why the president urged the election of more members of Congress who support the right to an abortion.
If the Court overturns Roe, it will fall on our nation's elected officials at all levels of government to protect a woman's right to choose, Biden said. It's going to fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials in November. We need more pro-choice Senators and a pro-choice majority in the House to adopt legislation that codifies Roe, which I will work to pass and sign into law.