Democratic Candidates Seize Chance To Rail Against Abortion Restrictions During Planned Parenthood Forum
“You’re not going to lock women back in the kitchen. You’re not going to tell us what to do,” Elizabeth Warren said at the Planned Parenthood event where 20 of the 2020 Democratic candidates were given a venue to talk about their abortion stances. Former Vice President Joe Biden, who has as of late been subject to criticism over his previous support for the Hyde amendment, used the opportunity to explain his change of heart on the issue, without using the word "abortion" even once.
The Associated Press:
2020 Democrats Strongly Defend Abortion Rights At Forum
Twenty Democratic presidential candidates attending a Planned Parenthood forum on Saturday vowed to defend abortion rights under nearly any circumstance while largely ignoring nuances around the issue that have already roiled their party heading into the 2020 election. The event sponsored by Planned Parenthood Action Fund — the group’s political arm — was the first of the election season centered on abortion. It came on the sidelines of the South Carolina Democratic Party’s state convention, a pivotal gathering of the party faithful in the South’s first primary state. (Weissert, 6/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Democratic Candidates Unite In Support For Abortion Rights
In total, 20 of the 23 Democratic candidates spoke at the Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s “We Decide: 2020 Election Membership Forum.” Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, Miramar, Fla., Mayor Wayne Messam and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard didn’t attend the Planned Parenthood event. The event was held just over two weeks after Mr. Biden—who leads the Democratic field in nationwide and state polls—reversed his long-held support for the measure, after Democratic candidates and groups like Planned Parenthood Action Fund criticized him. (Collins, 6/22)
The Hill:
2020 Democrats Vow To Expand Abortion Access At Planned Parenthood Event
The forum, hosted by Planned Parenthood in South Carolina, presented candidates with an opportunity to stand out on an issue that’s driven the Democratic primary so far. But the forum also highlighted differences between candidates, with some, like Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) vowing to go further than others to protect and expand abortion access. (6/22)
NPR:
Listen: Democratic Presidential Candidates Talk Abortion In South Carolina
Twenty Democrats running for the 2020 presidential nomination are addressing a forum on abortion rights in South Carolina. (6/23)
The Washington Examiner:
Elizabeth Warren Warns Anti-Abortion Backers: 'You're Not Going To Lock Women Back In The Kitchen'
Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren suggested that abortion restrictions and anti-abortion politicians were motivated by a desire to return to a period when women could not participate in the workforce. "It is not 1952," the Massachusetts senator said on Saturday about her work in the upper chamber to expand abortion rights. "You're not going to lock women back in the kitchen. You are not going to tell us what to do." (Leonard, 6/22)
The Washington Post:
Biden Defends Record On Abortion At Planned Parenthood Forum
A military veteran from West Virginia rose from the audience, her voice quivering as she relayed to former vice president Joe Biden that she’d been sexually assaulted multiple times and had had three abortions. Now an activist, Peshka Calloway told Biden that she had been able to use Medicaid to pay for her abortions, but today, women in similar situations cannot because West Virginia last year adopted a law stricter than the federal ban on funding for abortions, known as the Hyde Amendment. The Post typically does not identify victims of sexual assault but is naming her because she spoke in a public forum. (Itkowitz and Davies, 6/22)
The Hill:
Biden Talks About Abortion At Planned Parenthood Event, Without Saying The Word 'Abortion'
Former vice president Joe Biden stumbled to explain how he would expand and protect abortion access during a Planned Parenthood event Saturday, instead skating around the issue and failing to say the word "abortion" even once. Biden, who has been criticized on his abortion record by Democrats and activists, used euphemisms to refer to abortion access, including “reproductive rights,” “access to choice” and “access to the Supreme Court decisions.” (Hellmann, 6/22)
Politico:
Biden's Stands On Abortion Remain A Mystery After Hyde Flap
Joe Biden’s recent flip on federal funding for abortions has activists on both sides wondering: What does he believe now when it comes to reproductive rights? For decades, the former vice president opposed late-term and so-called partial birth abortions, lamenting that one ban enacted in the 1990s did not go far enough. He supported Republican presidents’ prohibitions on funding for groups that promote abortions overseas, and backed legislation that would have allowed states to overturn Roe v. Wade. He even fought unsuccessfully to widen religious groups’ exemptions from the Affordable Care Act’s mandate for birth control coverage. (Ollstein, 6/21)