MADRID — President Biden condemned what he called the “outrageous conduct” of the Supreme Court in its decision on Thursday’s Roe v. Wade, saying for the first time that he was in favor of ending the filibuster over a woman’s right to abortion to codify.
“We need Roe v. Waad into law, and the way to do that is to get Congress to vote for it,” Mr Biden said. “And if the filibuster gets in the way, it’s just voting rights. We provide an exception for this, or an exception to the filibuster for this action.”
Mr Biden called the ruling “destabilizing” and said he could understand why Americans are frustrated with the direction the court’s conservative majority is taking.
“It is a mistake, in my opinion, for the Supreme Court to do what it has done,” Biden said at a press conference in Madrid at the end of a series of week-long meetings with allies in Europe.
The country is in turmoil over the court ruling, which ended half a century of legal protections for women who wanted an abortion. The court turned the matter over to politicians, including state lawmakers, many of whom have already passed abortion bans triggered by the court’s decision.
The decision by the majority of judges has sparked intense anger among Democrats and other abortion rights advocates, while appeasing the Christian right and anti-abortion conservatives. The ruling is poised to revolutionize American politics just months before voters head to the polls for elections that will determine which party controls Congress.
Mr Biden has previously denounced the decision, calling it “the realization of an extreme ideology and a tragic mistake”. He has pledged to do what he can through the power of his office to help women in Republican-controlled states access abortion where it remains legal.
But the president continues to face pressure from members of his party to do more.