Planned Parenthood, NARAL, EMILY’s List endorse Biden ahead of Dobbs anniversary

Three major reproductive rights groups — Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America and EMILY’s List — endorsed President Biden’s reelection bid Friday, a day ahead of the anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

The president and Vice President Harris are rallying with the three groups, along with the Democratic National Committee, on Friday in Washington for the anniversary. 

“There is so much at stake,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a statement announcing the endorsement. “We know, clear as day, that if anti-abortion politicians gain control of the White House, they will exploit their power toward their ultimate goal: a national abortion ban.”

Most of the Republican presidential candidates have said they would support some type of federal law restricting when abortions would be legal.

“It’s as simple as this: Abortion matters to Americans,” NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju said. “In elections since the Supreme Court took away our right to abortion, voters have mobilized in massive numbers to elect Democrats who will fight to restore it.”

“Americans know the extremist GOP stacked the courts to take away our freedoms, and they won’t forget it,” she added.

EMILY’s List, which is a group that backs female candidates who support abortion rights, called the Biden administration the most pro-choice administration in history.

“When the Dobbs decision ended a constitutional right for the first time in this country’s history, we were grateful to have leaders in the White House like President Biden and Vice President Harris, who have been vocal advocates for abortion rights across the government and across the country,” said EMILY’s List President Laphonza Butler.

The endorsements were expected, but even though there were not surprising, they highlight how essential Biden’s abortion rights agenda will be for his reelection bid.

The president also got earlier-than-usual endorsements last week from major labor groups, including the AFL-CIO. He rallied with union members last Saturday. Additionally, the president was endorsed by environmental groups last week.

Biden and Harris have worked on protecting access to reproductive rights since the Supreme Court ended the roughly 50-year precedent set by Roe that guaranteed a right to an abortion. 

The president has signed executive orders aimed at safeguarding Americans’ ability to travel for the procedure and to get the abortion pill. Harris has been leading on the issue and has traversed the country to meet with local leaders and advocates.