President Biden picked up endorsements from three major abortion rights groups Friday, a day before the anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America and EMILY'S List will join Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally with the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C., on Friday to announce their joint endorsement. The groups are throwing their support behind Biden as Democrats nationally have claimed several victories for abortion rights on ballot referendums or in courts and will press forward on the issue into the 2024 election.
"There is so much at stake," Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a statement to media outlets. "We know, clear as day, that if anti-abortion politicians gain control of the White House, they will exploit their power toward their ultimate goal: a national abortion ban."
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Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, told the Associated Press the president and vice president were proud to have earned the support of the groups. Since the decision last year by the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, "we have seen the horrifying impact that the extreme MAGA agenda has on women’s health," she said, referring to former President Donald Trump’s "Make America Great Again" slogan.
Since the Supreme Court ended federal protections for abortion rights, 22 Republican-controlled state legislatures have advanced laws restricting abortion, such as Florida's ban on most elective abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. That law — and similar legislation in other states — faces legal challenges from abortion rights groups and providers. Republicans campaigning for president including Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis supported the Supreme Court's decision and have opposed actions by Democratic-controlled legislatures to expand abortion access.
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In contrast, Biden has called on Congress to pass legislation that would codify federal protections for abortion rights. The president also signed executive orders intended to safeguard access to abortion and make abortion pills more available. And the Biden administration has brought together leaders from all 50 states to talk strategy on how to expand access and work together to help people in more restrictive states.
"President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are the strongest advocates for reproductive freedom ever to occupy the White House, and NARAL Pro-Choice America proudly endorses their reelection," said NARAL Pro-Choice America president Mini Timmaraju. "It’s as simple as this: Abortion matters to Americans. In elections since the Supreme Court took away our right to abortion, voters have mobilized in massive numbers to elect Democrats who will fight to restore it. Americans know the extremist GOP stacked the courts to take away our freedoms, and they won’t forget it."
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EMILY's List, a group that backs female candidates who support abortion rights, praised Vice President Kamala Harris as a powerful symbol for women.
"She is the highest serving woman who has broken the hard glass ceiling of representing women in the White House," EMILY'S List president Laphonza Butler said. "This is the administration using every bully pulpit it can to advance reproductive health and freedom across the country."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
