INDONESIA (LifeSiteNews) – President Joe Biden acknowledged Monday that the next Congress would not have enough votes to codify a “right” to abortion-on-demand in federal law, implicitly expressing regret for having teased the possibility before last week’s midterm elections.
“I don’t think [Americans] can expect much of anything [regarding abortion] other than we’re going to maintain our positions,” Biden said at a press conference, Fox News reported. I’m not getting into more questions. I shouldn’t have even answered your question.”
“I don’t think there’s enough votes to codify unless something happens [that is] unusual in the House,” he added. “I think we’re going to get very close in the House… but I don’t think we’re going to make it.”
Biden had previously declared that if Democrats kept the House of Representatives and expanded their Senate majority, “the first bill I will send to the Congress will be to codify Roe v. Wade,” which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned in June, restoring states’ ability to decide their own abortion laws.
Instead, Republicans are projected to narrowly retake the House, while Democrats keep the Senate; a pending runoff election in Georgia will decide whether they gain a seat or maintain their 50-50 tie (which, broken by Vice President Kamala Harris, gives them control of the chamber).
READ: Democrats projected to keep control of the Senate
The results have fallen drastically short of the “red wave” many on both sides predicted would give Republicans strong majorities in both chambers, but they suffice to keep Biden and his party legislatively deadlocked for the next two years.
Debate continues to rage as to how significant a factor fears about abortion in the new post-Roe landscape played in the elections. Exit polls vary significantly in how much voters prioritized the issue; five abortion-related ballot initiatives all resulted in pro-abortion outcomes, but Republican incumbents who enacted abortion restrictions also won re-election.
READ: Here’s what pro-lifers can do to keep anti-abortion momentum following the midterms
Roe’s overturn sparked the activation of numerous pre-Roe abortion bans that had gone unenforced for decades, as well as more recent pro-life laws that had been blocked by courts, and trigger laws designed not to take effect until Roe was reversed. Across the country, abortion giant Planned Parenthood has suspended abortions and/or closed locations in reaction to the ruling, and pro-life attorneys general have declared their intentions to enforce their states’ duly-enacted abortion prohibitions.
Democrats’ efforts to codify abortion “rights” nationally and enshrine them in state constitutions, as well as work to promote interstate travel for abortions, ensure that building support for an eventual federal abortion ban remains a pressing pro-life priority.