Biden’s abortion rhetoric riles progressives for not going far enough

President Biden’s rhetoric on abortion is angering some progressive activists, who say his comments about “abortion on demand” show a reluctance to push for much more sweeping access than just restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade. 

But Biden’s reelection campaign is holding steady, backed by prominent abortion rights groups that say they recognize the need for short-term victories, and that the main goal is keeping Biden in the White House. 

Democrats are trying to replicate outcomes of the 2022 midterm elections, when they had better-than-expected results only months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe, largely because they appealed to moderates and independents on abortion issues. 

The Biden reelection campaign is putting abortion front and center in 2024, a politically expedient move that’s notable because Biden’s personal opinions on abortion are famously complicated. 

“I’m a practicing Catholic. I don’t want abortion on demand, but I thought Roe v. Wade was right,” Biden said at a private fundraiser last week. 

Even in brief remarks during a meeting of the White House’s reproductive health task force last month, Biden made clear he was not advocating for “abortion on demand.” 

At another fundraiser last summer, Biden similarly referenced his faith when talking about Roe. 

“I’m a practicing Catholic. I’m not big on abortion, but guess what? Roe vs. Wade got it right,” Biden said.  

Some progressives argue Biden’s conflicts on abortion are limiting him from being a more forceful advocate. 

In particular, they noted the phrase “abortion on demand” has become a right-wing talking point meant to demean women who seek out abortions.  

“When President Biden says if he is not a fan of abortion on demand … I think it is engaging in the fight for abortion rights and reproductive freedom within the messaging frame and the kind of cultural battlefield that the opposition has set, and not in our own frame,” said Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of Women’s March. 

But major abortion rights groups, like Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Reproductive Freedom for All, endorsed Biden last June and have enthusiastically praised the administration’s actions on issues like access to medication abortion and ensuring hospitals aren’t restricted from performing emergency abortions. 

“This is an important dialogue to have, and it’s also important to look at the president’s actions. The record of the Biden-Harris administration speaks for itself,” Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju said in a statement to The Hill.  

“Ultimately, we have the same goals here: to win the election, restore the federal right to an abortion, and expand access across the country,” Timmaraju added.

A source familiar with the Biden campaign said the goal of the president’s messaging on abortion is meant to win the election in November and be as progressive as possible.

The campaign has taken feedback from advocates into consideration, but the tension lies in how to meet advocates’ messaging goals while also meeting Americans where they are, the source said.  

Democratic strategists agreed that Biden is staying on friendly political ground, while trying to avoid walking into easy GOP attacks.   

Recently, the Republican National Committee claimed Biden supports “abortion on demand up until the moment of birth and after.”  

Talking broadly about “restoring Roe” or even using terms like “abortion on demand” matches what a majority of Americans think.  

“Voters across the ideological spectrum and demographics — in places like Kansas and Ohio no less — all have stood up for their freedoms since Roe was overturned. The bottom line is that people don’t want their freedoms taken away — and that includes their right to an abortion — even if they don’t believe in abortions for themselves, and the president’s speaking to them just as much as anyone,” said Alexandra LaManna, a former White House spokesperson focused on reproductive rights.  

Lanae Erickson, senior vice president for Social Policy, Education & Politics at the center-left think tank Third Way, said abortion isn’t a black-and-white issue, but the debate has shifted so far to the right that specifics and nuance aren’t important right now.  

“It’s about total bans. The playing field has just completely moved,” Erickson said. “Democrats should be emphasizing bodily freedom, not making litmus tests about what you can and can’t think about abortion to be part of our club. You know where Democrats and Biden are, and there’s absolutely no comparison [to Trump and the GOP].”

While Biden shows discomfort in speaking about abortion and rarely said the word before Roe was overturned, he has been a strong advocate for abortion rights, so much so that his support led to calls for the Catholic church not to offer him communion. 

Catholics for Choice argued Biden’s support for abortion access is strong because of his faith, not necessarily in spite of it. 

“He’s grappled with the issue for years, namely because of his faith, but he’s always been able to distinguish his faith from the common good. And he has said he will not impose his religious beliefs on the beliefs of others. Now, that’s solid religious freedom thinking,” said Jamie Manson, president of Catholics for Choice. 

“I think the president really does genuinely care about women, about their well-being about their health, that their safety and, and I think that also deeply influences his position,” Manson added. 

Still, O’Leary Carmona said groups like Women’s March are going to keep pressing. 

“Pushing Biden on this is not a matter of targeting him. It is a matter of orienting him and helping him to understand and be in alignment with the base, who is out in front on this issue and has been since the fall of Roe.”