A House Democratic lawmaker believes that the issue of rising prices reinforces the “need” for Americans to be able to have access to abortion.
During an appearance on MSNBC Wednesday night, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) was asked how the issues of inflation and abortion “compare.”
“I don’t think they compare. I think they actually reinforce each other,” Porter responded.
She explained, “So the fact that things like inflation can happen and it can become more expensive to feed your kids and to fuel your car is exactly why people need to be able to be in charge of how many mouths their going to have to feed.”
Porter went on:
“So I think the fact that we’re seeing this jump in expenses, that we’re seeing people have to pay more at the grocery store, pay more at the pump, pay more for housing is a reason that people are saying, ‘I need to be able to make my own decisions about when and if to start a family.”
The Congresswoman added, “I don’t think it’s about like comparing them or contrasting them. I think they reinforce for people just how big of a responsibility it is to take care of a family.”
Watch the video below:
Democrat Rep. Katie Porter claims #Bidenflation "reinforce[s]" the "need" for abortion.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 12, 2022
"The fact that we're seeing this jump in expenses … pay more at the grocery store, pay more at the pump, pay more for housing is a reason" for abortion. pic.twitter.com/jVjuzXRhPz
Earlier this month, Politico published a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court, which appeared to show it is poised to overturn the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade.
Porter’s comments come after the Senate failed to advance legislation designed to codify access to abortion.
As NPR explained, the bill would “protect a person’s ability to decide to continue or end a pregnancy and would enshrine into law health care providers’ ability to offer abortion services ‘prior to fetal viability’ without restrictions imposed by individual states, like requiring special admitting privileges for providers or imposing waiting periods.
It would additionally “prohibit restrictions on abortion after fetal viability ‘when, in the good-faith medical judgment of the treating health care provider, continuation of the pregnancy would pose a risk to the pregnant patient’s life or health.’”
The vote failed 49-51 as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va) voted with Republicans in opposition to the bill.
In a statement after the vote, President Joe Biden said, “Once again – as fundamental rights are at risk at the Supreme Court – Senate Republicans have blocked passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill that affirmatively protects access to reproductive health care.”
“This failure to act comes at a time when women’s constitutional rights are under unprecedented attack – and it runs counter to the will of the majority of American people,” he continued.
Biden has released a statement on the Senate's failure to pass the bill to protect abortion rights: "This failure to act comes at a time when women’s constitutional rights are under unprecedented attack."
— Oriana González (@OrianaBeLike) May 11, 2022
This is yet another WH statement where the word "abortion" is not used. https://t.co/uDdyEwQvA1 pic.twitter.com/eFCbQo5njg
Biden went on:
“Republicans in Congress – not one of whom voted for this bill – have chosen to stand in the way of Americans’ rights to make the most personal decisions about their own bodies, families and lives.”
He added, “To protect the right to choose, voters need to elect more pro-choice senators this November, and return a pro-choice majority to the House. If they do, Congress can pass this bill in January, and put it on my desk, so I can sign it into law.”
