President Joe Biden called for “protecting a woman’s right to choose” at the State of the Union Address Tuesday, claiming the landmark Roe v. Wade decision to be a constitutional right.
Biden addressed the need to advance justice and liberty by protecting women’s rights, warning that the “constitutional right” to an abortion guaranteed from the 1973 landmark Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade is currently “under attack.”
“Advancing liberty and justice also requires protecting the rights of women,” the president said. “The constitutional right affirmed in Roe v. Wade—standing precedent for half a century—is under attack as never before. If we want to go forward—not backward—we must protect access to health care. Preserve a woman’s right to choose. And let’s continue to advance maternal health care in America.”
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Roe v. Wade ruled that abortion bans before fetal viability—24 weeks of pregnancy—unconstitutional, but granted states the right to restrict the procedure in the second and third trimesters. (RELATED: Joe Biden Vows To ‘Codify’ Roe v. Wade, Appoint Pro-Roe Judges On Anniversary Of Case)
Biden, a staunch supporter of the ruling, condemned a Sept. 2 Court ruling allowing for the Texas Heartbeat Act, which bans abortion past six weeks of gestation, to remain in effect. The president referred to the ruling as an “unprecedented assault on a woman’s constitutional rights under Roe v. Wade.
The president vowed to reverse the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal funds for abortions. and the Mexico City Policy, which prevents foreign organizers from receiving U.S. funds for abortions. The president had formerly supported the Hyde Amendment before his 2020 presidential election.
The president has received backlash for identifying as a “devout Catholic” despite his support for abortion.
The Court agreed to take up the major abortion case Dobbes v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in May, which challenges a Mississippi law banning abortion at 15 weeks of gestation.