Michigan’s Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently urged President Biden to more forcefully defend abortion, arguing that what was needed was “blunt language” from the president, CBS News reported.
During a January 21 interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” last Sunday, Whitmer, the co-chair of Biden’s reelection campaign, was asked by host Margaret Brennan if she thought the president needed to speak out more often about abortion, regardless of whatever reservations he might have as a Catholic.
The Michigan Democrat said it “would be good” for Biden to do that. She argued that Biden has made it central to his position women should be the only ones to decide what is “right for them” and has fought throughout his political career to ensure that it always stayed that way.
When asked if Biden should be more of a “messenger on that,” Whitmer said it wouldn’t hurt, adding that voters wanted to see that Biden was “fighting” to protect abortion rights. She suggested that it would also help if the president used more “blunt language.”
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Whitmer made abortion rights a key issue during the 2022 elections in Michigan, linking her reelection campaign to a ballot measure enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution.
Michigan voters overwhelmingly passed the ballot measure and Democrats defeated Republicans in the state legislature, flipping both chambers blue, while Whitmer easily defeated Republican challenger Tudor Dixon, who had the endorsement of Donald Trump.
On January 22, President Biden marked the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade by convening the White House’s task force on reproductive health.
During remarks, Biden lashed out at the Roberts Court for overturning Roe, claiming that the ruling “ripped away” the “fundamental right” of abortion.
Biden also repeated his call for Congress to pass a bill that would codify Roe, vowing to sign it “immediately” once it passed.
