White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday responded to a male reporter who pressed her on President Biden’s support for abortion by saying the reporter has “never faced those choices.”
Psaki said Biden “believes that it is a woman’s right, it is a woman’s body and it is her choice,” in response to a reporter from EWTN, a Catholic network, who asked why Biden supports abortion when the Catholic Church opposes abortion.
When the reporter asked who Biden believes should look out for the unborn child, Psaki replied: “He believes that it is up to a woman to make those decisions and up to a woman to make those decisions with her doctor.”
“I know you’ve never faced those choices, nor have you ever been pregnant,” she continued, “but for women out there who have faced those choices, this is an incredibly difficult thing. The president believes their rights should be respected.”
Biden is a practicing Catholic and regularly attends Mass on the weekends. While his views on abortion are at odds with the teachings of the church, they are in line with the majority of Catholic voters who say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to polling.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops advanced a controversial document that could pave the way for bishops to rebuke Catholic politicians like Biden who receive Communion despite supporting abortion rights.
Psaki fielded numerous questions on Thursday about the White House’s response to the Supreme Court ruling declining to block a Texas law that bans most abortions.
In a statement on the ruling, Biden said he is instructing White House officials to examine how the departments of Health and Human Services and Justice can work to protect abortion access for women in Texas. He also called the 5-4 decision an “unprecedented assault on a woman’s constitutional rights.”
“For the majority to do this without a hearing, without the benefit of an opinion from a court below, and without due consideration of the issues, insults the rule of law and the rights of all Americans to seek redress from our courts,” Biden said.