During his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden delved into the abortion issue, though he didn't mention it by name. Instead, he framed it as "rights of women" and "health care."
The relevant parts of Biden's address included:
Folks, advancing liberty and justice also requires protecting the rights of women.
The constitutional right affirmed by Roe v. Wade — standing precedent for half a century — is under attack as never before.
If you want to go forward — not backwards — we must protect access to health care. Preserve a woman’s right to choose. And continue to advance maternal health care for all Americans.
The president also promoted this position over his official Twitter account.
The constitutional right affirmed in Roe v. Wade — standing precedent for half a century — is under attack as never before.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 2, 2022
If we want to go forward — not backward — we must protect access to health care. Preserve a woman’s right to choose.
Referring to the abortion procedure, which ends the life of an unborn child as being about "advancing liberty and justice" as well as "protect[ing] access to health care" and "continu[ing] to advance maternal health care for all Americans," drew outrage.
He just referred to abortion as “maternal healthcare”—the most ghoulish euphemism for infanticide yet.
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) March 2, 2022
It is no coincidence that black women receive over a third of
— Patrina Mosley (@patrinapmosley) March 2, 2022
all abortions and at the same time have the most adverse maternal health outcomes. You want to care for women and black lives: protect the right to life. #SOTU22 @Project21News
Biden's "healthcare" plan includes ending preborns lives ?? If you don't know that healthcare SAVES lives, maybe you shouldn’t be giving the #StateoftheUnion address.
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) March 2, 2022
??@POTUS: "We need to continue to advance maternal healthcare for all Americans."
— Radiance Foundation (@lifehaspurpose) March 2, 2022
Killing our babies isn't healthcare. Abortion doesn't advance anyone but wealthy abortionists. #SOTU #AbortionIsFakeHealth https://t.co/8lbEC7gQWp
Justice Amy Coney Barret was trending on Tuesday for her reaction to Biden's remarks about abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson last December, which could overturn Roe v. Wade. A decision is expected in June.
New meme?
— Katie Yoder (@k_yoder) March 2, 2022
Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s face while Biden speaks in support of abortion & Roe v. Wade:#SOTU #SOTU2022 pic.twitter.com/JP8SlxE85S
During the Fox News broadcast of the address, the camera panned to Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who was seen reacting negatively and shaking her head. Although she supports codifying Roe v. Wade, she voted against the radical Women's Health Protection Act that the Senate considered on Monday night. It failed thanks to all Republicans and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).
The WHPA would not only codify Roe, but it would do away with virtually all pro-life laws passed at the state levels, and make abortion legal on demand for any reason up until birth throughout the country.
Sen. Collins, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who also supports codifying Roe, on Monday introduced the Reproductive Choice Act. A press release from Sen. Collins' office bills the legislation for how it would "simply codify" Roe v. Wade. "It does not include any of the extraneous and over-reaching provisions in WHPA," the press release also mentioned.
As Madeline covered earlier on Wednesday, the president was approached by a reporter who asked why, as a Catholic, Biden supports abortion, thus "defying church teachings."
"I’ll tell you what. I don’t want to get in a debate with you on theology, but you know, well anyway, I’m not going to make a judgment for other people," Biden responded, after First Lady Jill Biden had walked away.
The abortion lobby begged Biden to just say the word "abortion" during the #SOTU tonight.
— Susan B. Anthony List #ModernizeOurLaw (@SBAList) March 2, 2022
But of course he didn't, because he knows the abortion extremism of his party is wildly out of step with at least 71% of Americans who support commonsense limits on abortion.
There were also those who thought Biden didn't take it far enough, as they were displeased that the president did not say "abortion" in his remarks.
The fact that President Biden refuses to say the word abortion one day after the Senate didn’t pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, six months after Texas banned abortions, and in the same year Roe is likely getting overturned is a tragedy. Abortion is not a dirty word. #SOTU
— Sheila Katz (@SheilaKatz1) March 2, 2022
The second largest state in the U.S. – home to 10% of the reproductive-age population – has banned largely all #abortion care for half a year. President Biden not only failed to mention #SB8 and #Texas in #SOTU but didn't even say the word "abortion."
— Mary Tuma (@TumaTime) March 2, 2022
Last night, President Biden included a few sentences about Roe v. Wade in his State of the Union address—but didn't say the word "abortion" itself.
— Abby Abrams (@abbyabrams) March 2, 2022
He has not used the word in any oral remarks since taking office.https://t.co/kYUlDtF10Y
Meanwhile, in her response to Biden's address, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), a member of the squad, mentioned abortion by name. In speaking of what a "working families majority" would do, Tlaib said that "we’d make abortion care a fundamental right, so that no Supreme Court could ever take it away."