Democratic Primaries

Proud Liberal Dem

(24,777 posts) Wed Mar 18, 2020, 09:06 PM Mar 2020

Biden Anti-Choice?

I was debating politics with an avowed Bernie supporter (who is prepared to refuse to vote if Bernie is not the nominee) and one of her friends jumped in and claimed that Biden may be anti-choice and would not nominate pro-choice justices when I tried to argue the importance of voting for the Supreme Court in November. I've seen a few random articles circulating among the Bernie fandom crowd on my social media feeds about stuff that Biden may or may not have done or said about Abortion decades ago, but, as far as his current campaign website goes, he purports to want to defend a woman's constitutional right to an abortion in his discussion of ACA.

https://joebiden.com/healthcare/

Biden is, admittedly, not my first choice in this primary but with Warren gone, he's the one I'm settling with (not here to debate) but I could never imagine him nominating anti-choice Judges, esp. to the Supreme Court. Anybody got any sourcing or exposition on his position on abortion rights? And I'm not interested in going back 30-40 years either. I want to know where he stands TODAY.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

18 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Biden Anti-Choice? (Original Post) Proud Liberal Dem Mar 2020 OP

Biden was never anti choice. drray23 Mar 2020 #1

I didn't think so either Proud Liberal Dem Mar 2020 #4

He has a more complicated history than that. But he is solidly pro-choice today... thesquanderer Mar 2020 #13

This is probably what they're looking back at Proud Liberal Dem Mar 2020 #17

A disingenuous response. Act_of_Reparation Mar 2020 #15

More lies from the Sandernistas? The Velveteen Ocelot Mar 2020 #2

He's pro-choice mzmolly Mar 2020 #3

Her "friend" is clueless. Link to PP: TwilightZone Mar 2020 #5

My understanding about Biden is that as a devout Catholic, he personally, for him and PatrickforO Mar 2020 #6

They made the same argument 4 years ago videohead5 Mar 2020 #7

And here we are 4 years Proud Liberal Dem Mar 2020 #10

He is most definitely pro-choice Bev54 Mar 2020 #8

Brainwashing and gaslighting can do serious harm to stupid people's brains NCProgressive Mar 2020 #9

No. He's not mcar Mar 2020 #11

Biden is Catholic, but he is pro-choice MiniMe Mar 2020 #12

He's pro-choice. Turin_C3PO Mar 2020 #14

Biden is catholic... so... Happy Hoosier Mar 2020 #16

We can go to Planned Parenthood for his platform position on this. LanternWaste Mar 2020 #18

drray23

(7,965 posts)

1. Biden was never anti choice.

Reply to Proud Liberal Dem (Original post)

Wed Mar 18, 2020, 09:08 PM

Mar 2020

He stated multiple times that he supports the right of women to choose.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Proud Liberal Dem

(24,777 posts)

4. I didn't think so either

Reply to drray23 (Reply #1)

Wed Mar 18, 2020, 09:10 PM

Mar 2020

There's some kind of story- which I'm fairly sure was stripped of context or was misleading clickbait- that Biden once supported overturning Roe and/or allowing states to decide their abortion laws.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

thesquanderer

(12,347 posts)

13. He has a more complicated history than that. But he is solidly pro-choice today...

Reply to drray23 (Reply #1)

Thu Mar 19, 2020, 08:35 AM

Mar 2020

...which is plenty good enough for me.

But if you're curious:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/us/politics/joe-biden-abortion-hyde-amendment.html

Where does Biden stand on abortion?
He supports abortion rights — but he hasn’t always. Over his nearly 50-year career, he has swung back and forth, grappling with what he saw as a conflict between abortion rights and his Catholic faith.

When he became a senator in 1973, he argued that the Supreme Court had gone “too far” in its Roe v. Wade ruling. Later, he shifted to say that abortion should be legal but the government shouldn’t fund it. That was his position until this month, which brings us to the Hyde Amendment.

For decades, Mr. Biden supported the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding for abortion under programs like Medicaid. As recently as June 5 {2019}, he said he still did.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/29/us/politics/biden-abortion-rights.html

With an anti-abortion president, Ronald Reagan, in power and Republicans controlling the Senate for the first time in decades, social conservatives pushed for a constitutional amendment to allow individual states to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that had made abortion legal nationwide several years earlier.

The amendment — which the National Abortion Rights Action League called “the most devastating attack yet on abortion rights” — cleared a key hurdle in the Senate Judiciary Committee in March 1982. Support came not only from Republicans but from a 39-year-old, second-term Democrat: Joseph R. Biden Jr.

“I’m probably a victim, or a product, however you want to phrase it, of my background,” Mr. Biden, a Roman Catholic, said at the time. The decision, he said, was “the single most difficult vote I’ve cast as a U.S. senator.”

The bill never made it to the full Senate, and when it came back up the following year, Mr. Biden voted against it. His back-and-forth over abortion would become a hallmark of his political career.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Proud Liberal Dem

(24,777 posts)

17. This is probably what they're looking back at

Reply to thesquanderer (Reply #13)

Thu Mar 19, 2020, 12:54 PM

Mar 2020

But it seems like it should be considered totally irrelevant NOW though. As always, the history is waaaaay more complicated and nuanced than some people like to make it. As long as he's pro-choice now and has a favorable rating from PP, then I'm good. Though ever since I've been following politics, I've never known him to be anti-choice.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Act_of_Reparation

(9,116 posts)

15. A disingenuous response.

Reply to drray23 (Reply #1)

Thu Mar 19, 2020, 08:53 AM

Mar 2020

You could favor banning abortion in all but the most extreme circumstances and still call yourself "pro-choice". It's a sliding scale.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

The Velveteen Ocelot

(120,903 posts)

2. More lies from the Sandernistas?

Reply to Proud Liberal Dem (Original post)

Wed Mar 18, 2020, 09:09 PM

Mar 2020

Biden is pro-choice. No question.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

mzmolly

(51,624 posts)

3. He's pro-choice

Reply to Proud Liberal Dem (Original post)

Wed Mar 18, 2020, 09:09 PM

Mar 2020

and rated favorably by Planned Parenthood.

https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/presidential-candidate-profiles/joe-biden

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

TwilightZone

(28,833 posts)

5. Her "friend" is clueless. Link to PP:

Reply to Proud Liberal Dem (Original post)

Wed Mar 18, 2020, 09:10 PM

Mar 2020

https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/presidential-candidate-profiles/joe-biden

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

PatrickforO

(15,110 posts)

6. My understanding about Biden is that as a devout Catholic, he personally, for him and

Reply to Proud Liberal Dem (Original post)

Wed Mar 18, 2020, 09:17 PM

Mar 2020

his own family, is against abortion, but he recognizes and supports the fact it is the law of the land.

I have never been under the impression that Biden would nominate anti-choice judges.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

videohead5

(2,433 posts)

7. They made the same argument 4 years ago

Reply to Proud Liberal Dem (Original post)

Wed Mar 18, 2020, 09:25 PM

Mar 2020

I argued with someone that was a Bernie supporter on this very same web site four years ago. They were not sure Hillary would pick a pro-choice supreme court judge. They will rationalize anything for an excuse not to vote.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Proud Liberal Dem

(24,777 posts)

10. And here we are 4 years

Reply to videohead5 (Reply #7)

Wed Mar 18, 2020, 09:47 PM

Mar 2020

having the same debates over Joe Biden, who very likely will be the nominee at this point.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Bev54

(11,917 posts)

8. He is most definitely pro-choice

Reply to Proud Liberal Dem (Original post)

Wed Mar 18, 2020, 09:41 PM

Mar 2020

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

NCProgressive

(1,315 posts)

9. Brainwashing and gaslighting can do serious harm to stupid people's brains

Reply to Proud Liberal Dem (Original post)

Wed Mar 18, 2020, 09:45 PM

Mar 2020

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

mcar

(43,512 posts)

11. No. He's not

Reply to Proud Liberal Dem (Original post)

Wed Mar 18, 2020, 09:50 PM

Mar 2020

This is a lie.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

MiniMe

(21,828 posts)

12. Biden is Catholic, but he is pro-choice

Reply to Proud Liberal Dem (Original post)

Wed Mar 18, 2020, 09:53 PM

Mar 2020

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Turin_C3PO

(15,922 posts)

14. He's pro-choice.

Reply to Proud Liberal Dem (Original post)

Thu Mar 19, 2020, 08:53 AM

Mar 2020

He has a very good rating from Planned Parenthood.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Happy Hoosier

(8,405 posts)

16. Biden is catholic... so...

Reply to Proud Liberal Dem (Original post)

Thu Mar 19, 2020, 10:05 AM

Mar 2020

He is personally anti-abortion, but he does not believe his beliefs should be imposed on others, so he supports choice.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

LanternWaste

(37,748 posts)

18. We can go to Planned Parenthood for his platform position on this.

Reply to Proud Liberal Dem (Original post)

Thu Mar 19, 2020, 01:12 PM

Mar 2020

Supports birth control. Check.

Supports abortion access. Check.

Biden pledges to repeal of the Trump administration’s Title X gag rule. Check.

Supports health equity. Check.

Supports comprehensive and age appropriate sex education that includes science based prevention methods.
Check.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Reply to this discussion