President Biden: We have to codify Roe v. Wade into law.

We are a pro-life nation. We do not sanction the murder of the unborn. We never will either. I’m running for Congress and I’ve been unabashedly pro-life for my whole life. I will never waiver and I will NEVER bend.

by Natalia Chi June 30, 2022, 3:13 pm 1.8k Views

Biden calls on Congress to ease Senate rules to codify Roe v. Wade

The Supreme Court sharply curtails the authority of the EPA to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions that cause climate change. In a 6-3 ruling, the court sides with conservative states and fossil-fuel companies in adopting a narrow reading of the Clean Air Act.

President Joe Biden on Thursday said he would support a suspending the Senate filibuster rule to codify the constitutional right to an abortion as established by the Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 ruling to Roe v. Wade.

His comments represent critical support for suspending a key procedural hurdle that has thus far prevented Senate Democrats from passing legislation that would make the Roe decision federal law. Current Senate rules require the majority party to muster 60 votes to overcome the minority’s attempt to block the advance of a bill, an procedural action known as a filibuster.

“I believe we have to codify Roe v. Wade into law. And the way to do that is to make sure Congress votes to do that,” Biden told reporters in Spain.

But with the Senate split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, the GOP has been able to use the filibuster rule to stop the slim Democratic majority from approving abortion bills.

“If the filibuster gets in the way, it’s like voting rights, we provide an exception for this,” Biden said. “We require an exception of the filibuster for this action.”

Biden’s comments come a week after the nation’s highest court overturned 50 years of legal precedent by reversing its original opinion that women have a constitutional right to an abortion. They also mark the first time the president has publicly supported changing the filibuster rules to pass legislation codifying Roe v. Wade into law.

The court’s controversial ruling last week now grants states the power decide their own abortion laws without worrying about running afoul of the Roe opinion, which had allowed abortions during the first two trimesters of pregnancy.

The president said he’s scheduled to meet with state governors on Friday to discuss their options until Democrats in Congress cement their response. Echoing the belief held by many Democrats, Biden added that the court’s reversal “is a serious, serious problem the Supreme Court has thrust upon the United States.”

“I’m going to do everything in my power I legally can do in terms of protecting abortion, as well as pushing Congress and the public,” he said.

Even Biden’s backing doesn’t mean Democrats will be able to force abortion legislation through the Senate. That’s because, while the filibuster could be changed with a simple majority vote, not all Senate Democrats like the idea of tossing out a way to check future Republican majorities.

Moderate Democrats Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, for example, have said they are against edits to the filibuster rules.

Biden Says He Supports Exception to Filibuster to Codify Roe v. Wade Into Law

WASHINGTON—President Biden said on Thursday that he supports temporarily suspending the filibuster, if necessary, to pass legislation codifying Roe v. Wade into law.

“The most important thing to be clear about is we have to codify Roe v. Wade into law and the way to do that is to make sure Congress votes to do that,” Mr. Biden told reporters during a press conference in Spain. “And if the filibuster gets in the way, it’s like voting rights, it should be provided an exception for this…to the filibuster.” Read More

Biden Says He Would Support Axing the Filibuster to Codify Roe v. Wade

President Joe Biden told reporters at a NATO summit on Thursday that “If the filibuster gets in the way” of codifying abortion rights into federal law “we should provide an exception to the filibuster to deal with the Supreme Court decision.”

"We have to codify Roe v. Wade into law," President Biden says.
"If the filibuster gets in the way … we should provide an exception to the filibuster to deal with the Supreme Court decision." pic.twitter.com/mnHPZKY6FI
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 30, 2022

The President’s statement is the most concrete call to action from Democratic leadership for a pathway towards legislative action since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Biden indicated that he would be “talking to the governors” as to what actions he and his administration should be taking to protect abortion access in the absence of a federal guarantee.

Democrats have been widely criticized for failing to have a planned response to the overturning of Roe, particularly after a draft of the court’s opinion was leaked to Politico in early May. Biden and members of the administration have avoided commitment to executive action as a stopgap to the court’s decision.

.@VP pointed to the 2022 midterms and the importance of electing more democrats to the Senate to pass abortion protections. But I pushed Harris – who also serves as President of the Senate – on whether the administration will take a position on bypassing the filibuster. pic.twitter.com/gehNzXPXJZ
— Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) June 28, 2022

Vice President Kamala Harris was recently questioned by CNN’s Dana Bash about Democrats’ willingness to end the filibuster in order to pass legislation protecting abortion rights. Harris responded that “given the current composition of the Senate, the votes aren’t there.” The VP instead called for voters to participate in the November midterm elections.

Biden’s call for a filibuster exemption would require a Senate majority to approve the temporary rule change. The proposal’s main barrier would be opposition to the rule change from Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. Outside of convincing them and the other 48 Democratic senators to accept the temporary rule change and having VP Harris serve as a tie breaking vote, Democrats would need to gain two senate seats in the November midterms to make the plan feasible.

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Written by Natalia Chi

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