Planned Parenthood President Dr. Leana Wen said she takes Joe Biden “at his word” after he changed his stated opinion several times on the Hyde Amendment, a longstanding bipartisan federal measure that blocks federal taxpayer funding of abortion.
“I take him at his word now that he has heard the will of the people,” Wen said in an appearance on C-SPAN’s Newsmakers to be aired this weekend.
“We know that the Hyde Amendment is a hugely discriminatory policy,” she said, adding that the measure treats abortion differently than other forms of health care.
Wen said Planned Parenthood has been following in the “footsteps of reproductive justice leaders” and that Biden is acknowledging that.
Planned Parenthood and others in the abortion industry have attempted to convince Americans that abortion is the equivalent of “health care” and that refusing to fund abortions of low-income “women of color” constitutes discrimination.
“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,” Wen tweeted Thursday:
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. Thank you to our RJ partners for leading the charge in repealing this discriminatory policy. https://t.co/G1JrSK6Jbm
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) June 7, 2019
Abortion rights lobbying organization NARAL said Biden “listened to the millions of women—especially WoC leaders—and changed his position on the Hyde Amendment”:
We’re glad that Joe Biden listened to the millions of women—especially WoC leaders—and changed his position on the Hyde Amendment. Support for #ReproFreedom & abortion rights is fundamental to the pursuit of equality & economic security that is central to Democratic values!
— NARAL (@NARAL) June 7, 2019
The former vice president, who is making a bid for the White House, reversed his position again in response to pressure from the left on whether taxpayers should fund abortion, and now he says they should.
The pro-life March for Life Action tweeted a timeline of Biden’s “evolution” on the Hyde Amendment:
Evolution of @JoeBiden
1980's Joe Biden: I'm pro-life.
1988-2000's: Abortion is ok taxpayers shouldn't pay for it.
June 3, 2019: taxpayers should pay
June 5, 2019: taxpayers shouldn't pay
June 7, 2019: oh wait, I meant taxpayers SHOULD pay for abortionshttps://t.co/nunl6vNnC6— March for Life Action (@MFLAction) June 7, 2019
“Times have changed,” said Biden in announcing his latest view of the Hyde Amendment.
“For many years as U.S. Senator, I have supported the Hyde Amendment like many, many others have,” he said.
“I’ve been struggling with the problems that Hyde now presents,” he continued, arguing that if health care is “a right,” then he “can no longer support that amendment that makes that right dependent on someone’s zip code.”
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