Biden gives major abortion speech in final run-up to midterms

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden sought on Tuesday to make the battle over abortion a centerpiece of the midterm elections, hoping to help Democrats claw back ground as polls show Americans far more concerned by the economy.

Biden´s upcoming speech in Washington marks a newly intensified push by the White House to lift the party ahead of the November 8, when Democrats hope to defy historical trends by retaining their razor-thin control of Congress.

Midterm votes typically see the party in the White House punished and this year the Democrats face a potential tsunami of discontent over an unpopular president, post-pandemic economic woes and fierce cultural wars around schools, gender issues and abortion.

It´s abortion, however, that Biden sees as a potential game-changer, with anger seething over the Supreme Court´s shock decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the historic ruling from half a century ago that enshrined access to abortions nationwide.

In his speech, Biden will return to the message he has repeatedly hammered, casting Republicans as seeking extreme restrictions on abortion and urging voters to use the midterms to rally around the issue.

Rather than merely protest against Republicans, Biden will frame the election as a chance for Democrats to increase their congressional majority and win an opportunity to set a new, national law on abortion rights -- effectively overturning the Supreme Court decision.