Prominent abortion rights groups rallied around President Biden’s re-election campaign on Friday, arguing that his administration’s record on reproductive health and the “existential” threat of another Trump administration outweigh his poor debate performance.
As Democratic lawmakers, strategists and activists spent the day panicking about Biden’s ability to lead the party into November, abortion rights leaders said they were confident he was the best person for the job.
“We are extremely confident that uniting behind him is the most strategic move,” said Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All.
“I can say with certainty that it all comes down to Joe Biden, the only presidential candidate who believes in a future where people have the freedom to decide when, if and how they build families,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
Biden faced former President Trump in a debate Thursday night in what turned into a disastrous performance, including on abortion. While abortion has been one of the main issues Democrats want to highlight, Biden has offered a confusing and confusing response on the issue.
When asked whether he supports any limits on abortion, Biden awkwardly defended Roe v. Wade. Codifying standards under Roe has been a key tenet of the Democratic Party this cycle.
“I support Roe v. Wade, who had three quarters,” Biden said. “The first time is between a woman and a doctor. The second time is between a doctor and an extreme situation. A third time is between the doctor, that is, between women and the State.”
Biden called the end of federal abortion protections a “terrible thing” but did little to respond to Trump’s false claims about so-called late-term abortion.
“We’re in a state where, in six weeks, you don’t even know if you’re pregnant or not, but you can’t see a doctor, have them decide what your circumstances are, whether you need help,” Biden said.
Abortion rights leaders acknowledged Friday that Biden had a difficult debate, but said his administration’s record in the two years since Roe was overturned shows he will be a bulwark against future efforts to limit abortion access.
“Donald Trump is an existential threat to women and the entire country,” said Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. “A poor debate performance doesn’t put women’s lives in danger, but a second Trump presidency?
Timmaraju praised the Biden campaign’s use of surrogates, including abortion storytellers like Amanda Zurawski and Kate Cox.
“Their voices, in addition to the actual content, you know, that shows Donald Trump bragging about Roe are the most effective ways to fight back, and I think they’re doing a great job of that,” Timmaraju said.
But in a separate interview, Nourbese Flint, president of the group All* Above All and the All* Above All Action Fund, which focuses on reproductive justice for black women, said she expected more from Biden.
“It was the opportunity that the president didn’t take advantage of, in being able to define the difference between himself and Trump and what this moment means, and what this election means and what’s at stake,” Flint said.
Flint said restoring Roe is a step back in time to 1973, not a step forward.
“[Biden] missed the mark last night, but there’s still a long time until the election,” Flint said. “I think it’s even more important to listen to the campaign, listen to the president himself, the differences between him and Trump. [on] access to abortion and, particularly, how the solutions it offers emerge at the moment.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
