October 19, 2022 (TheGuardian.com)
| Biden vows to codify Roe if Democrats win midterms |
| President casts election as a choice between Republicans who seek to impose a nationwide abortion ban and Democrats who aim to protect it. Plus, how to have a better funeral |
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 Joe Biden delivers remarks at a Democratic National Committee event on Tuesday. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images |
| By Nicola Slawson |
| Joe Biden vowed yesterday that the first bill he sent to Capitol Hill next year would codify Roe v Wade – if Americans return his party to power with wide enough margins to pass abortion protections.It’s a major lift for Democrats, who face a challenging political environment marked by a rocky economy and decades-high inflation. But the loss of abortions rights has sparked a political backlash, motivating Democratic voters and women more broadly who have registered to vote in significant numbers since the supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe in Dobbs v Jackson.“I’m asking the American people to remember how you felt that day the extreme Dobbs decision came down and Roe was overturned after 50 years,” Biden said during remarks at an event hosted by the Democratic National Committee at the Howard Theater in Washington. “The anger, the worry, the disbelief.”“If you care about the right to choose,” he added, “then you gotta vote”. Will this tactic work? Clear majorities of Americans believe abortion should remain legal and disapprove of the supreme court’s decision. Yet polling consistently shows that voters’ top priority this election is the economy and inflation, issues that play to Republicans’ strengths. Biden’s approval rating remains low, which is a drag on vulnerable Democratic candidates. |
