On Wednesday’s The leadCNN anchor Jake Tapper confronted Pramila Jayapal (Democratic Congresswoman) about why Democrats have not done anything to codify Roe v. WadeWhen they were in control of both Houses of Congress with supermajorities, and Barack Obama was the President, they signed it into law.
“I hear from young women who are coming to resent Democrats using the issue of abortion rights and preserving abortion rights to get them to the polls” Tapper observed.
Then he complained about it. “Democrats always do this and then once they’re in office, they don’t do enough to codify Roe v. Wade.” Tapper also added “this is just anecdotally what I hear from Democratic women.” The “Democrat women” who complained to him was probably just his wife who is an abortion activist at Planned Parenthood.
Tapper then broadcast back-to-back sounds of Barack Obama, then-candidate for the presidency. He promised to sign a bill that codified Roe v. Wade and then immediately reversed his position once he was sworn into office as President.
As he was setting up the piece, it became a sigh.
Senator Obama in 2007, he told Planned Parenthood that he would—the law called Freedom of Choice Act which would’ve codified Roe v. WadeIt would have been one of his first actions. This was in 2007. In 2009, it was 2009.
After airing the Obama soundbites, he asked Jayapal if she hears “from Democratic women who are sick of Democrats using this as a reason to get them to the polls and then ultimately don’t codify Roe v. Wade?”
In response, she blamed “a complacency around Roe v. Wade” because Democrat voters thought it was “settled precedent” despite the fact that Democrats “knew that Republicans were planning this for 30 years.”
This segment was possible because Verizon. The information of both is linked.
To read the relevant transcript click “expand”:
CNN’s The lead
6/28/2022
Eastern, 5:19:45JAKE TAPPER: So I want to ask you a question because there’s something I’ve been hearing a lot about since that draft decision leaked to Politico in April, one that turned out to be almost entirely accurate. This is what I’ve heard about young women who resent Democrats using the abortion issue and protecting abortion rights as a way to send them to the ballot box.
They say Democrats do it all, but then they aren’t doing enough codification once in office. Roe v. WadeWhatever. These are just some of the stories I have heard from Democratic women. Obama, for example, Senator Obama in 2007, he told Planned Parenthood that he would—the law called Freedom of Choice Act which would’ve codified Roe v. WadeIt would have been one of his first actions. This was in 2007. In 2009, it was 2009. Listen.
[cuts to audio]
BARACK OBAMA (July 17, 2007): First thing I’d do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.
OBAMA, April 29, 2009: Freedom of Choice Act does not rank high in my legislative priorities.
[cuts back to live]
TAPPER: Are you hearing from Democratic women tired of Democrats using this excuse to get them to vote and then not codify? Roe v. Wade?
REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (Yes, I feel it, and I have felt it for a while as an activist and as a member in congress. The problem is this: It was obvious that there was complacency. Roe v. WadeThis was a settled precedent. Even though it was obvious that Republicans planned this for over 30 years, we didn’t treat it as settled precedent. We believed it could not be reversed. That is part of the problem.
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