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President Joe Biden has announced a “whole-of-government” response to “ensure” abortion access in Texas, after the state’s pro-life law went into effect on Wednesday.
As a result of this move, Biden’s stance on the beginning of life is being questioned.
Recently President Biden is reported to have said that he does not believe life begins at conception.
This contradicts previous statements on when life begins.
Biden answered a reporter’s question on abortion on Friday. “I respect those who believe life begins at the moment of conception,” Biden said. “I don’t agree, but I respect that. I’m not going to impose that on people.”
The response is contrary to what he has stated in the past.
In a 2012 vice presidential debate, Biden stated that he believed life began at conception.
“Life begins at conception. That’s the Church’s judgment. I accept it in my personal life,” he said. “But I refuse to impose it on equally devout Christians and Muslims and Jews. I just refuse to impose that on others.”
Biden said at the time that he does “not believe that we have a right to tell other people that, women can’t control their body. It’s a decision between them and their doctor, in my view, and the Supreme Court. I’m not going to interfere with that.”
Focus on his comments came as the “Texas Heartbeat Act” became effective on Sep 1.
The Texas Heartbeat Act prohibits abortions in the state after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. It can be enforced by private lawsuits. The law went into effect after the Supreme Court did not act on a petition to block it.
The Supreme Court majority ruled that the petitioners in the Texas case – the abortion providers requesting the “heartbeat” law be blocked – had not made a sufficient case for relief.
Biden denounced the decision as “an unprecedented assault on a woman’s constitutional rights” to abortion.
Biden said he was directing his White House Gender Policy Council, as well as the White House counsel, “to launch a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision”.
The groups will review “what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas’ bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties.”
The pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List praised the court decision.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling allows Texas to protect unborn babies with beating hearts while litigation continues,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List.
“The Texas legislature, acting on the will of the people, debated and passed this law with the very simple goal of protecting unborn children with beating hearts from death in the womb. This is how democracy works.”
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