Today's News & Views
August 25, 2008
 
Obama v. Biden on partial-birth abortion,
tax-funded abortion, and Born-Alive Infants Protection Act

August 24, 2008 -- Senator Joe Biden (D-De.), picked by Barack Obama as his vice-presidential running mate, is a strong supporter of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling, which mandated abortion on demand. Biden has played a leading role in blocking or trying to block the nominees to the Supreme Court who were opposed by pro-abortion advocacy groups, such as Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito. Biden has not voted on the pro-life side on any roll call vote scored by National Right to Life since 2003. However, Biden's record on certain pro-life issues is contrary to the positions that Obama has taken -- which is to say, while Obama has always embraced the most expansively pro-abortion policy option of those placed before him, there are several specific issues on which Biden has not done that. These divergences actually illustrate some of the extremes of Obama's record. For example:
 
Obama vs. Biden on Partial-Birth Abortion
 
The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act was enacted in 2003, with Senator Biden's support, and was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in April, 2007.  (For more about the content and significance of this legislation, click here and here.)  At that time, Barack Obama sharply criticized the U.S. Supreme Court for its ruling, saying, “I strongly disagree with today’s Supreme Court ruling . . ."
 
As for Biden: "I voted for the partial-birth abortion ban," said [Sen. Joe] Biden while answering a woman's question at a conference sponsored by the National Jewish Democratic Council. "I think it’s an extraordinary circumstance, I make no apologies for it."   ABCNews.com, April 24, 2007.
 
Obama vs. Biden on tax-funded abortions
 
Barack Obama advocates federal funding of abortion, and while in the Illinois legislature he voted against legislation to restrict state funding of abortion on demand. That is consistent with the policy advocated in the proposed 2008 Democratic Party platform, which says,  "The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay . . ."  In short, Obama and the platform favor repeal of the Hyde Amendment and the other laws that prevent funding of abortion in federal programs such as Medicaid.  But Senator Biden has been voting for those laws for decades.  Biden has written, "I might also add that I find it difficult to understand how those who refuse to limit the right of abortion in this country can at the same time support the expansion of the government's financial involvement in providing for abortions.  That is why I have been a consistent supporter of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of Medicaid funds to finance abortions.  I believe that it is not the government's business to be promoting abortion in any way."  (Letter, June 16, 1983) (To see the letter, click here.)

Obama v. Biden on Born-Alive Infants Protection legislation

On 2001, Biden voted for the language of the federal Born-Alive Infants Protection Act (BAIPA), which recognizes babies who are born alive during abortions as legally protected persons, while Obama killed a virtually identical bill in the Illinois State Senate in 2003.