Top adviser says Biden believes Congress must codify Roe

Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to President Biden, said on Sunday that the president believes that codifying Roe v. Wade to protect abortion rights nationally is one of the administration’s top priorities.

During an appearance on CBS’s “Face The Nation,” moderator Margaret Brennan noted that Pennsylvania voters rated abortion rights as their main concerns during last week’s midterm elections.

“But if Republicans take the House, what is it that the president can actually do here?” Brennan asked.

“So, the president has been very clear. He believes Congress needs to codify Roe v. Wade so that it is the national law of the land. And we do not have states that have, in effect, prohibited abortion totally. And at this point, there are significant number of states that have … everything short of outright prohibitions on abortion,” Dunn replied.

“So the president’s been very clear what Congress needs to do. And he has said if Democrats control the House and the Senate, that he will send a bill to codify this nationally.” 

Dunn also told Brennan that the administration will continue to work to make ensure reproductive health care in states that have already implemented bans on abortions. 

“He will continue to work, as our administration has since this ruling came down, to make sure that the travel of women who want to go to states where abortion is legal is not impeded, that people are able to get reproductive health care, that women who have other medical issues aren’t denied care, which is happening,” Dunn added. 

Her remarks came after Democrats performed better than expected in last week’s midterm elections. The party retained control of the Senate, while the House majority is still uncertain.

Voters in three states on Tuesday also approved ballot measures enshrining abortion rights into their state constitutions, while those in two traditionally red states rejected measures that would have restricted access to reproductive care. The votes signal support for abortion rights after the Supreme Court in June overturned the landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to the procedure.