BARELY…
Just once. Sorta. 468 days in. Not in every statement. Never without pressure.
After 224 days of refusing to use or say the word ‘abortion’—after Texas’ six-week ban went into effect—the Biden Administration first included the word ‘abortion’ once in a press statement. After 468 days in office, said the word abortion, once, after the leaked Supreme Court draft indicated that the justices are ready to overturn Roe v. Wade. President Biden has been in office for more than a year overseeing the current abortion crisis that will inevitably undo Roe v. Wade and he has yet to make a meaningful public statement himself about the crisis or use the word ‘abortion’ more than once. He has yet to meet with people who’ve had abortions to learn about our experiences.
The Biden-Harris Administration has never used the word ‘abortion’ in a statement commemorating the Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized the right to an abortion. They didn’t use it in a statement after the failed vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act which would codify Roe v. Wade and enact federal protections for abortion access. He refused to say it in his State of the Union speech.
People who have abortions deserve better from our pro-choice President.
Say the word abortion, Joe!
“The bare minimum that literally costs nothing would be to talk about it, and he won’t do that. So how am I supposed to have faith that he’s going to do anything else when he won’t do the thing that’s free?”
— Renee Bracey Sherman, executive director of We Testify in The Lily
President Biden claims he supports our right to abortions. The problem?
He refuses to use the word ‘abortion’.
The Biden Administration’s Women’s Health Protection Act statement March 1, 2022?
No mention of the word ‘abortion.’
Biden-Harris Administration's 2022 statement commemorating the Women’s Health Protection Act omitting the word 'abortion.'
The Biden Administration’s Roe v. Wade anniversary statement January 22, 2022?
No mention of the word ‘abortion.’
Biden-Harris Administration's 2022 statement commemorating the 49th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision omitting the word 'abortion.'
The Biden Administration’s Roe v. Wade anniversary statement January 22, 2021?
He didn’t say abortion either.
His executive memorandum to repeal the Global Gag Rule and restoration of Title X?
He didn’t say abortion.
In response to a reporter’s question, President Biden called the patently unconstitutional Texas’ 6-week abortion ban “un-American,” but wouldn’t say the word ‘abortion’ himself.
(He hasn’t commented publicly on the law since September 2021.)
His press secretary refuses to say the word ‘abortion’.*
(Even after the Supreme Court decided to hear Mississippi’s 15-week ban and Texas criminalized abortion after 6-weeks!)
(Start watching at 4:00)
When White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the enactment of Texas’ 6-week abortion ban?
She didn’t say ‘abortion’.
(Start watching at 28:09)
Stigmatizing abortion isn’t presidential.
We don't need more evasive statements from the White House that further stigmatize abortion. We don’t need more platitudes. We need a clear plan on how President Biden will protect and expand access to abortion care.
President Biden claims he supports our right to an abortion, but he hasn’t shown up for us. He has to actually take actions to protect and expand access to abortion and ensure that everyone—no matter who they are, where they live, their immigration status, what type of health insurance they have, or how much money they have—has access to healthcare, including abortion.
We need to hear President Biden unapologetically and unequivocally say he supports people who have abortions.
And, he has to actually say the word ‘abortion’.
*Press Secretary Jen Psaki mentioned on April 14, 2021 when answering a reporter’s question to clarify that Title X does not cover abortion. Biden Administration Press Briefings with questions—and non-answers—on abortion:
“It’s hard to have a conversation about abortion policy in this country when you can’t say the word abortion.”
— Destiny Lopez, co-president of All* Above All in The Daily Beast
Articles Asking About Abortion
With Roe endangered, Democrats divide on saying the word ‘abortion’ by Caroline Kitchener, Washington Post, April 2, 2022
“A diverse coalition of abortion rights groups, led by We Testify, a group with a large social media following that shares the stories of people who have had abortions, has intensified its calls for Biden and other Democrats to say “abortion,” a move it argues would help destigmatize the procedure at a critical moment…Those [national] abortion rights groups only recently shifted their rhetoric, moving away from a discussion of giving women the “choice” to a full embrace of the word “abortion,” pushed by women of color-led advocacy groups that have championed the more direct language.”
Advocates Urge President Joe Biden to Speak Out on Abortion Rights by Abigail Abrams, HuffPost, February 28, 2022
“I hope that he can actually get over that and model for the entire country what it looks like to stand up as the President and say that I believe healthcare is a human right, and abortion is part of that health care,” Bracey Sherman says. “Every single one of us loves someone who’s had an abortion, and that is why we need to make sure that everyone has access to their constitutionally protected rights, including abortion.”
— Renee Bracey Sherman, executive director of We Testify
Joe Biden Has Take A Back Seat In The Fight To Preserve Abortion Rights by Alanna Vagianos, HuffPost, February 8, 2022
“Biden has been in office for one year and he has yet to use the word ‘abortion’ with his own mouth. I don’t know how to view that as anything other than insulting and turning your back on people who have and need abortions in this country,” said Bracey Sherman, who has been keeping track of Biden’s remarks. “Honestly, how else am I supposed to take that? How am I supposed to believe you when you say you are going to help uphold Roe?”
Why doesn’t Biden use the word ‘abortion’ more? by Abigail Higgins, The Lily, December 14, 2021
“If you want to continue to walk around and say that you’re a pro-choice president you need to start acting like it, and the fact that he has been in office for 328 days and he has not addressed the nation on this issue is wild to me.”
— Renee Bracey Sherman, executive director of We Testify
Treading Lightly In Abortion Politics, Biden Still Manages To Annoy Both Sides by Julie Rovner, NPR, July 12, 2021.
“In fact, to the consternation of reproductive rights advocates, Biden has apparently not even uttered the word "abortion" as president. A website is keeping track.”
Biden’s Silence on Abortion Rights at a Key Moment Worries Liberals by Lisa Lerer, New York Times, May 27, 2021
“Despite the urgency felt by much of his party, President Biden has said little about abortion publicly while in office. In fact, he hasn’t said the word itself — an avoidance so noticeable that one women’s health group has created a website tracking his reluctance, DidBidenSayAbortionYet.org.”
Who’s Afraid Of The Word “Abortion”? The Biden Administration, Apparently by Sarah Midkiff, Refinery29, May 18, 2021
“On every single presumably progressive issue, he was very clear to set a tone and values. How come he can’t do that for abortion? He talks about wanting to go big on abortion, economic justice, and supporting women. Imagine this. If they were talking about the importance of the right to vote, but they never said the word vote, that would be weird, right?”
— Renee Bracey Sherman, executive director of We Testify
Abortion Is on SCOTUS’ Radar—and Biden Is Getting Heat by Emily Shugerman, Daily Beast, May 18, 2021
“He turned his back on people who have abortions as soon as he got into office. What happened this morning at the Supreme Court is what happens when you turn your backs on us and ignore the restrictions we’re facing every single day.”
— Renee Bracey Sherman, executive director of We Testify
Biden Administration Say the Word Abortion Challenge by Marie Solis, Jezebel, May 17, 2021
“The words we use to talk about abortion matter, and if we don’t talk about abortion at all it’s impossible to convincingly argue for people’s universal right to it.”
Why Biden Needs to Go Big on Abortion by Emily Crockett, Washington Monthly, May 10, 2021
“And one of the easiest ways Biden could go big on abortion is to talk about it openly and often, said Renee Bracey Sherman, founder and executive director of We Testify, an organization that fights stigma around abortion by sharing the stories of real people who have them. She said that if Biden really considers himself pro-choice, he needs to tell the American people a clear story about abortion and why expanding access to it matters.”
Biden Has the Power to Change the State of Abortion. He Needs to Use It by Jess Jacobs & Gretchen Borchelt, Cosmopolitan, April 30, 2021
“Yet so far, the Biden-Harris administration has fallen short. President Biden’s January 22 press statement on the Roe v. Wade anniversary did not even use the word “abortion.” And the first time his press secretary was asked about Biden’s position on abortion policy, she referred only to the president’s Catholicism.”
— Jess Jacobs & Gretchen Borchelt, National Women’s Law Center
Will the Biden Administration Get Bolder on Improving Abortion Access? by Amy Littlefield, The Nation, April 27, 2021
“I think that where we need more work from the administration is lifting up this issue and talking about it. We’ve got policy asks, but that bully pulpit piece is super important.”
— Destiny Lopez, co-president of All* Above All
“Those of us who have had abortions have a low bar: Could you say the word abortion, Biden? It’s a very low bar. And yet, he’s not meeting it.”
— Renee Bracey Sherman, executive director of We Testify
The Best Way to Protect Abortion Rights Right Now Is to End a Racist, Classist Federal Budget Amendment by Becca Andrews, Mother Jones, March 31, 2021
Why Won’t President Biden Utter the Word ‘Abortion’? by Danielle Campoamor, Playboy, March 10, 2021
‘It Feels Like It’s ‘Build Back Better’ for Everything Except Abortion’ by Galina Espinoza, Rewire News Group, April 27, 2021
“The fact that they get asked about it on day one, and not only do they not repeat or say the word abortion, but they perpetuate this false equivalency that the Catholic faith is somehow counter to abortion. Biden goes to church—cool! So do the Catholics who have abortions.”
“I can speak for the We Testify storytellers when I say that it feels really frustrating to do the brave thing and share our stories, only for Biden to not reciprocate that by even acknowledging what we’ve done by saying the word abortion. Abortion stigma is back and thriving in the White House, and that is very scary under a supposedly pro-choice administration.”
“I mean, how hard it is to stand up at that podium and say, “You know, President Biden ran on a pro-choice platform. Everyone in this country loves someone who’s had an abortion, and this administration believes that everyone should have access to their constitutional rights and access to health care, and abortion is part of health care.” Look at that!”
“Biden is like, ‘Build back better’ for everybody else, but for abortion, it’s ‘Build back the bare minimum.’”
— Renee Bracey Sherman, executive director of We Testify in Mother Jones
All About Abortion
Why say the word ‘abortion’?
Saying the word abortion is a signal that someone is fully supportive of abortion access and unapologetically loves and cares for people who have abortions. Abortion isn’t a dirty word. If you support abortion access, you should be able to talk about it, including your values and why openly—and by using the word ‘abortion’.
But abortion is a divisive issue…
Support for abortion hasn’t wavered in nearly 50 years. Seven in ten Americans believe abortion should remain legal, sixty percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases and a majority believe that Medicaid health insurance should cover abortion care. Most Americans believe that a person’s abortion experience should be non-judgmental, informed with medically accurate information, affordable, without barriers or pressure, and comfortable.
What is ‘abortion stigma’?
Abortion stigma is a negative social mark placed on people who have and provide abortions by others in society. Abortion stigma is a culture that encourages the isolation, discrimination, and hatred of anyone associated with abortion.
This can look like the mistreatment of people who have abortions, encouraging people not to share their abortion stories, supporting only particular reasons for abortions, and the refusal to say the word ‘abortion’ when discussing the procedure.
But it’s just a word, right?
If it’s ‘just a word’ then why won’t President Biden and his Administration say it? Words matter.
Saying the word ‘abortion’ signifies a commitment to talking about abortion openly and normalizing it. People who have abortions deserve to hear our nation’s leaders speak out in support of our healthcare access clearly, without stigma, and without shame.
But President Biden is Catholic…
Like many people who have abortions, President Biden is a practicing Catholic. A quarter of people who have abortions are Catholic. In fact, most people who have abortions are religious or spiritual. People of faith have abortions, too. They deserve access and a president who says the word ‘abortion’.
Abortion isn’t a divisive issue, it’s a gerrymandered one.
What can you do?
Join the conversation! Tell President Biden it’s time to speak out in support of all of us who’ve had abortions—and say the word abortion!
Hey @POTUS! Stigmatizing abortion isn’t presidential. It’s time for you to declare your support for people who’ve had abortions. #SayAbortionJoe
Hey @POTUS! I’ve had an abortion and I’m disappointed that you won’t speak up for us. It’s time for you to declare your support for people who’ve had abortions. #SayAbortionJoe
Hey @POTUS! I’ve had abortions and I’m disappointed that you won’t speak up for us. It’s time for you to declare your support for people who’ve had abortions. #SayAbortionJoe
Stigmatizing abortion isn’t presidential, @POTUS! Everyone loves someone who had an abortion. Be presidential and show up for abortion access. #SayAbortionJoe