President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the “basic fairness and the stability of our law demand” that the U.S. Supreme Court not overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide and said he would work to codify the right to abortion into federal law.
In a statement released a day after Politico released a draft opinion that suggested that the high court could be poised to overturn the ruling, Biden said he couldn’t speak to the authenticity of the draft and said his administration is preparing for all eventualities for when the court ultimate rules.
Biden said a decision overturning Roe would raise the stakes for voters in November’s heated midterm elections.
“If the Court does overturn Roe, it will fall on our nation’s elected officials at all levels of government to protect a woman’s right to choose,” Biden said. “And it will fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials this November. At the federal level, we will need more pro-choice Senators and a pro-choice majority in the House to adopt legislation that codifies Roe, which I will work to pass and sign into law.”
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