Kerry Eleveld
Daily Kos Staff
Wednesday October 19, 2022 ·
President Joe Biden told attendees at a Democratic National Committee event Tuesday that he would fast-track passing a national abortion rights measure if Democrats strengthened their majorities in Congress this fall.
“If we do that, here’s the promise I make to you and the American people: The first bill I will send to the Congress will be to codify Roe v. Wade," Biden said to the crowd at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. "And when Congress passes it, I’ll sign it in January, 50 years after Roe was first decided the law of the land,” Biden added.
Former Vice President Mike Pence took Biden’s pledge as his cue to remind voters that Republicans are unwaveringly committed to banning abortion nationwide.
"I’ve got news for President Biden," tweeted Pence. "Come January 22nd, we will have Pro-Life majorities in the House and Senate and we’ll be taking the cause of the right to Life to every state house in America!"
That's not just news for Biden, that's a warning to blue-state Democrats everywhere who perhaps feel deceptively insulated from the extremist bans red-state Republicans are unleashing on their constituents.
Republicans absolutely plan on banning abortion nationwide if they are given the keys to Congress and the White House. Pence views retaking the House and Senate this November as a first step in the Republican march toward inserting the government into every pregnancy-related decision people make in this country—from family planning to how and when they conceive to the reproductive health care decisions they make along the way.
Republicans aren't keeping this under wraps. Whether it's Sen. Lindsey Graham's 15-week national abortion ban or Pence's rallying cry, Republicans are making it plain. Biden reminded Americans of that during his DNC speech.
"I want to repeat it again: The only sure way to stop these extremist laws that are—put in jeopardy women’s health and rights is for Congress to pass a law," Biden said.
"Right now, we’re short a handful of votes," Biden continued. "If you care about the right to choose, then you got to vote. 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."
Biden also reminded the audience that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito dared women to vote if they didn't like the Supreme Court decision he penned, writing, "Women are not without electoral or political power.”
Biden called the statement "extraordinary," adding with a chuckle, "Let me tell you something—the Court and the extreme Republicans who have spent decades trying to overturn Roe are about to find out. Just take a look at what happened in Kansas. And come this November, we’re going to see what happens all over America, God willing."
The contrasting visions for America being laid out by Democrats and Republicans couldn't be more stark. Republicans, wielding the structural advantages of a flawed electoral system, plan to end Americans' privacy rights and broadly insert government into people's most closely guarded personal decisions.
Democrats seek to safeguard those very same personal decisions in every way possible by codifying Americans' privacy rights into federal law.
You can help make this a reality by simply voting and voting early. Get friends and elders to the polls. If you're older, call your kids and grandkids to make sure they vote. If you're younger, host a voting party where you and your friends fill out your ballots together. Let’s do this
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