My column, "Joe Biden Flip Flops His Way To The Left" was published by Townhall on June 7, 2019. It was in reaction to news from the day before, that the Biden campaign was forced to clarify he no longer supported the Hyde Amendment. The day before that, the campaign had claimed that Biden still supported such protections, as he had done for his entire political career spanning over 40 years. Biden, who was still running in the Democratic primary, was the last remaining holdout. Two years later, after Biden went from candidate to Democratic nominee to president, his administration has gotten no better on answering the abortion question.
On the first day of the Biden administration, White House Press Secretary was asked about the Mexico City Policy and the Hyde Amendment. Both have to do with taxpayer money going towards abortions. The former blocks federal aid from going to groups which perform or promote abortion, and the latter protects taxpayer Americans from funding elective abortions at home.
Jen Psaki spins out of Hyde Amdt. & Mexico City question by saying Pres. Biden is a "devout Catholic".
— Cassie Smedile (@CMSmedile) January 21, 2021
Either Pres. Biden is about to be a very pro-Life President or Jen Psaki (and basically everyone else) needs to stop referring to him as a "devout Catholic"...! pic.twitter.com/Tvy9qVvUnW
She faltered with both questions, and even evoked Biden's Catholic faith with her non-answer on the Hyde Amendment, as Beth reported.
As it turns out, that was not merely a one-time thing.
This headline from Matt's February article says it all. "Psaki Won't Give Straight Answer on Abortion Funding in COVID Bill After Being Asked About It Repeatedly," he wrote. As it turns out, that bill, which was signed into law by President Biden in March, does contain abortion funding.
And still, the administration has gotten no better.
The president has created a grave scandal when it comes to his public pro-abortion, while still claiming to be a devout Catholic, when the Church is clearly against abortion. There have been steps from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has signaled they will take, which includes a document to come out in November clarifying the worthiness of receiving Holy Communion.
President Biden reacted to the passage of an action item last Friday from the USCCB's virtual conference.
As I reported at the time:
"The Catholic bishops are moving on this resolution that would prevent you and others that have supported abortion from receiving communion. Are you concerned about the rift in the Catholic Church and how do you feel personally about that," a reporter asked.
President Biden didn't entirely answer the question, but merely replied "That's a private matter and I don't think that's going to happen. Thank you."
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also addressed the matter when asked at a press briefing:
Q: Thank you, Jen. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is writing a document to clarify who should receive Communion. And this is targeted at politicians, people who have a high public profile. What’s the President’s reaction to this?
MS. PSAKI: Well, Joe Biden is a strong man of faith. And as he noted just a couple of days ago, it’s personal. He goes to church, as you know, nearly every weekend. He even went when we were on our overseas trip. But it’s personal to him. He doesn’t see it through a political prism. And we’re not going to comment otherwise on the inner workings of the Catholic Church.
Q: Would statements by the bishops make the President reconsider his public support for policies that, you know, increase access to abortion or allow access to abortion in the United States?
MS. PSAKI: Again, that the President’s faith is personal. It’s something that has helped guide him through some challenging moments in his life. And that’s how many Americans see their faith as well, not through a political prism. So I would suspect he will continue to attend church as he has for many, many years.
Q: Does he realize that —
MS. PSAKI: Go ahead, Jonathan.
Q: — his stance on abortion runs contradictory to USCCB teachings?
MS. PSAKI: Go ahead. I think we’re going to move on to the next question because I’ve just answered that and it’s personal.
No, Psaki did not answer the question. Further, the president does not get to publicly tout his faith in one area, and then claim it's "personal" when he's asked questions he doesn't like, namely how he is out of line with his Church's teachings on the most fundamental issue as the right to life.
The issue of abortion was not merely limited to the issue of Biden's Catholic faith, though. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who is also Catholic, was asked last Thursday by a CNSNews.com intern, Julia Johnson, if a 15-week old unborn baby was a human baby.
"Let me just say that I’m a big supporter of Roe v. Wade. I am a mother of five children in six years. I think I have some standing on this issue as to respecting a woman’s right to choose," was the speaker's irrelevant response.
That questioning caught on. At that same Monday press conference, Psaki was asked that same question that Johnson asked Pelosi.
When asked by a reporter "Does the President believes that a 15-week-old, unborn baby is a human being," Psaki changed the question to the one she wanted to answer.
"Are you asking me if the President supports a woman’s right to choose," the press secretary replied. "He does."
No, that was not what was being asked.
Jen Psaki won't say if President Biden believes that a 15-week-old unborn baby is a human being:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 21, 2021
"Are you asking me if the President supports a woman's right to choose? He does." pic.twitter.com/mm2SU0ZIn8
If the Biden administration thinks that pro-lifers, or even just reporters looking to keep the president honest on the issue, will be satisfied with such answers, they're in for a long four years.