Joe Biden Receives Planned Parenthood Award, Urges Supporters “Not to Give Up”
Former President Joe Biden received an award from Planned Parenthood of Delaware on Thursday and used his remarks to defend his abortion-rights record while encouraging supporters to continue their efforts.
Biden spoke at Planned Parenthood of Delaware’s 22nd Annual Chocolate & Champagne Gala in Claymont, where former first lady Jill Biden presented him with the Sonia Schorr Sloan Service Award. The award is named after Sonia Schorr Sloan, who served as president of Delaware Planned Parenthood and later chaired its board.
Biden recalled his friendship with Sloan, and reflected on the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturned Roe v. Wade. “She would have been devastated, of course, outraged and appalled, as we all were,” he said.
“One thing we know is that Sonny would not have been afraid,” he continued. Biden said she would not have responded by “wringing her hands” or “lamenting the state of things,” but instead would have “gotten to work.”
Biden also pointed to actions his administration took after the Dobbs decision. “In the wake of the Dobbs decision as president, I think I tried to do what I know Sonny would have been on the phone telling me to do. We took action; I signed an executive order to protect access to reproductive healthcare, including emergency medical care.”
He also cited efforts to help women travel to states where abortion remained legal. “Groups like this one here in Delaware and across the country fought back as well in courts, state legislatures and at the ballot box,” he added.
Biden described the abortion debate as “a constant push and pull between peril and possibility” and a “battle” that is “never truly over,” telling supporters, “There’s no time to give up. It’s time to get up.”
Biden’s abortion record has drawn criticism from pro-life advocates. In an op-ed for The Christian Post, David Hoffman called him “the most pro-abortion president in history,” citing his reversal of the Mexico City Policy and U.S. withdrawal from the Geneva Consensus Declaration.
The Biden administration also repeatedly sought to eliminate the Hyde Amendment and Dornan Amendment, both of which restrict federal funding for abortion.
