Four Reasons Why NARAL Pro-Choice America Is Endorsing Joe Biden for President in 2020
This week, NARAL announced its endorsement of Vice President Joe Biden for president of the United States. The stakes couldn’t be higher this November — and that’s why we need a proven and compassionate leader like Joe Biden who has a long track record of listening to and learning from others. In this moment, as all of the values and freedoms we hold dear hang in the balance, we are committed to making sure Donald Trump and his dangerous agenda don’t see another term in the White House.
During the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, we were thrilled to see the field coalesce around their support for reproductive freedom, escalating these critical issues to the forefront of the race. It is clear that if you care about equality and Democratic principles, reproductive freedom is non-negotiable. Democratic presidential candidates including Joe Biden recognized that, embracing pro-choice policies to protect and expand our fundamental rights and work to undo the damage waged by Donald Trump and his anti-choice cronies in the U.S. Senate.
Now, as we look ahead to Election Day, we have a clear choice. We know that we must do all that we can to ensure that reproductive freedom is a reality for every body — and that means working to make sure Joe Biden is elected president this November.
Here are four reasons why NARAL Pro-Choice America believes Joe Biden is the leader we need to elect in 2020 — and why we hope you’ll join us in our fight to take back the White House.
1. We need a president who promises to protect our fundamental rights.
Joe Biden has made his commitment to reproductive freedom clear by vowing to work to safeguard Roe v. Wade, only nominate judges who will respect the landmark abortion rights decision, support the defeat of the racist and discriminatory Hyde Amendment, and use executive action to protect and expand access to abortion and contraception — including reversing Trump’s rules gutting reproductive freedom, like the global and domestic gag rules.
As a proven leader, we know that Joe Biden will listen to the voices of people across this country and his leadership will be informed by data and medical evidence. Throughout Trump’s four years in office, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen what happens when politicians who are supposed to be watching out for our health and wellbeing put their ideological agenda first. It has proven disastrous for our fundamental rights — and so we must elect a president who will put people and justice first.
2. We are the majority — and we know that embracing reproductive freedom is a path to victory
We know that the public is with us: 77% of Americans support Roe v. Wade — that’s not just a majority, it’s a consensus. And that is a truth that extends to the ballot box, where voters continue to show us that support for reproductive freedom is a recipe for success.
Take for example the 2018 midterm elections, when voters turned out in force to elect Democrats who support reproductive freedom, ushering in the most diverse, progressive, and pro-choice U.S. House of Representatives in history. The following year in 2019, candidates who support reproductive freedom emerged victorious in closely-watched races in Virginia and Kentucky, flipping the state legislature in Virginia to pro-choice control and electing a NARAL-endorsed governor in Kentucky who champions reproductive freedom. This spring, support for our fundamental rights was again a winning issue when NARAL-endorsed candidate Marie Newman defeated incumbent Representative Dan Lipinski, one of the last anti-choice Democrats left in Congress, in the Democratic primary.
Not only is embracing reproductive freedom as Vice President Biden has done the right thing to do, these elections underscore that doing so is also the best strategy for defeating Donald Trump.
3. We must take back the White House from anti-choice extremists
As we’ve said all along, Donald Trump poses a graver threat to reproductive freedom than any other president in modern history. He is a puppet for the Radical Right, helping them advance their extreme agenda to maintain the misogynistic and white supremacist status quo by working to criminalize abortion and control women.
Since taking office, Trump has worked aggressively to gut reproductive freedom and end abortion access and openly suggested on the campaign trail in 2016 that women deserve “some form of punishment” for seeking abortion care. Trump owes a debt to the anti-choice movement whose support helped boost him to victory in 2016, and he’s paid it back and then some with his extremist policies and by stacking the federal judiciary with political ideologues — including Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — who will carry out his agenda long after he leaves office.
4. The stakes couldn’t be higher in 2020: Our rights, our families, and our democracy are on the line
This election falls at a critical moment, and Trump’s failure to lead is abundantly clear. Over the past few months, we’ve seen relentless attacks on reproductive rights in states across the country, even during a pandemic, and there is no doubt extremists will continue to put their ideology over the health and well-being of women and families. Meanwhile, the anti-choice majority on the Supreme Court solidified by Trump’s picks can’t be counted on to protect our rights and freedoms.
Trump is a threat to our democracy and every value we hold dear. He has ripped apart families and threatened the healthcare of millions. As we continue to face a public health crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, a national reckoning with structural racism, and attacks on reproductive freedom, another four years under Trump would be catastrophic. And so our choice is clear: We must join together and fight for a better future for ourselves and our families by electing Joe Biden this November.
