After decades of touting a moderate stance on abortion, Joe Biden is caving to the radical left.
The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate reversed his position for a second time on the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding for abortions. Speaking to a crowd in Georgia, Biden said that he could no longer support the amendment as southern states pass restrictive abortion laws.
“I can’t justify leaving millions of women without access to the care they need and the ability to exercise their constitutionally protected right. If I believe healthcare is a right, which I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone’s zip code.”
Biden caves to left
This is Biden’s second flip-flop on the Hyde Amendment in just one week. It was reported last month that Biden was in favor of repealing it, but then the Democrat reaffirmed his support of the amendment Wednesday, saying he misunderstood the question. Biden told an American Civil Liberties Union activist in May that the Hyde Amendment “can’t stay.”
The news sparked a backlash from the party of late-term abortion, as rival 2020 Democrats and left-wing groups whipped the 76-year old to get in line. Just one day later, Biden buckled. While Biden said he had “no apologies” for his previous decades of supporting the Hyde Amendment, efforts by Republicans to restrict abortion made him finally see the light.
“But circumstances have changed. I’ve been working through the final details of my health care plan like others in this race, and I’ve been struggling with the problems that Hyde now presents,” he told a crowd at a Democratic National Committee gala in Atlanta.
Democrats increasingly regard any limitations on abortion as unacceptable, with virtually all 2020 Democrats supporting abortion at any stage for any reason. Biden’s support of the Hyde Amendment made him the only Democrat running for president who still held that position. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) are co-sponsoring a bill to overturn the amendment.
Biden’s decision to drop his support for the Hyde amendment was applauded by the smiley fascists at Planned Parenthood, who thanked Biden for his compliance.
“Happy to see Joe Biden embrace what we have long known to be true: Hyde blocks people—particularly women of color and women with low incomes—from accessing safe, legal abortion care,” Planned Parenthood CEO Leana Wen wrote.
Biden’s evolution
Biden’s flip-flop caps off a decades-long shift. When he began his Senate career in Delaware, Biden was a pro-life Democrat who thought Roe v. Wade went “too far.”
A Catholic, Biden staked out a middle-of-the road position on abortion for decades. The Democrat touted his support of the Hyde Amendment to a constituent in 1994.
“I will continue to abide by the same principle that has guided me throughout my 21 years in the Senate: those of us who are opposed to abortion should not be compelled to pay for them,” Biden wrote to a constituent in 1994. “As you may know, I have consistently—on no fewer than 50 occasions—voted against federal funding of abortions.”
In 2007 book called Promises to Keep, Biden said, “I’ve stuck to my middle-of-the-road position on abortion for more than 30 years… I still vote against partial birth abortion and federal funding.”
The 76 year-old has suffered attacks from his left flank since entering the race — and even before that — as he struggles to apologize for his past, insufficiently extreme positions. As penance for his past ideological sins, Biden has since come out in support of healthcare for illegal immigrants and apologized for his past support of the 1994 crime bill.
Biden’s flip on the Hyde Amendment is just his latest pivot — and it probably won’t be the last.
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