Top Democrats, Republicans offer dueling messages on abortion a year after Roe overturned

At dueling events in Washington to mark the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's overturning of the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade, President Joe Biden and Democrats vowed to fight to protect abortion rights, while Republicans praised the end of federal protections for abortion.

Since the Dobbs decision that upheld a Mississippi ban on abortions after 15 weeks and struck down Roe, 14 states have banned abortion with limited exceptions, while several other bans have been held up in court. Other states have passed further restrictions. 

On Friday, Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris joined abortion rights groups including Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America and EMILY's List for a political event to mark the Supreme Court decision.

"The court got Roe right 50 years ago, and I believe Congress should restore the protections of Roe v. Wade once and for all," Mr. Biden said. He vowed to veto any national abortion ban passed by Congress and said freedom is on the ballot in 2024.  

Earlier in the day, Mr.  Biden signed an executive order the White House says will help strengthen access to contraception. It is the third executive order he has signed since Roe fell. 

On Saturday, the one-year anniversary of Dobbs, Harris will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, to speak on reproductive rights. The state recently passed a 12-week ban.

"We stand for the freedom of every American including the freedom of every person everywhere to make decisions about their own bodies, their own health care and their own doctors, so we fight for reproductive rights and legislation that restores the protections of Roe v. Wade," Harris said ahead of her visit. "And here's the thing, the majority of Americans are with us — they agree."

Just a mile from the Democrats' events Friday – 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls appeared Friday at an event hosted by the conservative political Faith and Freedom Coalition, where candidates praised the Supreme Court's decision.

"We are creating a culture of life in America and that's a really good thing," said Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. The 2024 presidential candidate also penned an op-ed in the Des Moines Register Friday, with a headline saying there's more work to be done.

"When I am President of the United States, I will sign the most pro-life legislation the House and Senate can put on my desk. We should begin with a 15-week national limit," he wrote.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, also appeared at the Faith and Freedom Coalition event Friday to praise the Dobbs decision. 

"Every Republican candidate for president should support a ban on abortion before 15 weeks as a minimum nationwide standard," Pence told the crowd. 

Pence touted his record in Congress, as Indiana's governor and as vice president in fighting to ban abortion and defund Planned Parenthood. He will also appear at a rally with anti-abortion advocates on Saturday in Washington. 

Hutchinson said Friday that if Congress acts, he would sign a federal law to restrict abortion. Suarez characterized the day Roe was overturned as the "greatest day in our history." Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also spoke at the event, referring to himself as "pro-life," but he did not mention whether he would support a federal ban.  

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also spoke at the event Friday. While he did not explicitly  mention Dobbs or his stance on a federal abortion ban, he did tout the passage of the six-week abortion ban in Florida that he signed into law earlier this year, calling it "the right thing to do."

Former President Donald Trump along with 2024 candidate Nikki Haley will both appear at the Faith and Freedom Coalition gathering Saturday.

New CBS News polling found 57% of Americans believe the overturning of Roe is mostly bad for the country. And 63% oppose a federal abortion ban while only 37% favor one. Some 55% want a federal law making abortion legal nationwide.

In:
• Abortion

Sarah Ewall-Wice

CBS News reporter covering economic policy.

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