Joe Biden accepts Planned Parenthood award, urges supporters not to 'give up' on abortion

Former President Joe Biden received an award from Planned Parenthood of Delaware and used his acceptance speech to defend his record on abortion, urging supporters not to “give up” the fight for legal abortion.

Biden delivered remarks at Planned Parenthood of Delaware’s 22nd Annual Chocolate & Champagne Gala in Claymont, Delaware, on Thursday. Before the former president spoke, former first lady Jill Biden presented her husband with the Sonia Schorr Sloan Service Award.

The award is named for Sonia Schorr Sloan, who, according to the Delaware Business Times, served as president of Delaware Planned Parenthood from 1980-1984 and was still chair of the organization’s board of directors at the time of her death in 2019.

According to a Facebook post by Delaware Planned Parenthood earlier this month, the Sonia Schorr Sloan Service Award “honors a legacy of service” and is “given annually to someone whose work reflects the same dedication” as the “longtime supporter and community leader.”

During his speech, Biden reflected on his friendship with Sloan, whom he referred to by her nickname “Sonny,” and recalled his response to 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. The former president insisted that Sloan wouldn't have reacted to the decision by “wringing her hands” or “lamenting the state of things,” but instead would have “gotten to work.” 

Biden also reflected on his response to 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.” 

The former president said another action he took was working to help women seeking abortion to travel to states where it 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 the latest example of what he referred to as “a constant push and pull between peril and possibility” as well as a “battle” that is “never truly over.” He concluded his remarks with a message to “all of you who love our country, to all of us who are disheartened by the present state of the nation.” 

“There’s no time to give up. It’s time to get up,” he said as the crowd erupted in applause.

In an op-ed for The Christian Post, David Hoffman called Biden “the most pro-abortion president in history.” Hoffman cited Biden’s reversal of the Mexico City Policy, which restricts U.S. foreign assistance to organizations that perform or promote abortion, as well as his withdrawal of the U.S. from the Geneva Consensus Declaration. Signed by dozens of countries worldwide, the Geneva Consensus Declaration states that there is no international right to abortion and that abortion policy should be determined at the national or local level.

Biden’s budget request also highlighted his support for abortion. His administration repeatedly sought to eliminate the Hyde Amendment, which restricts the use of federal funds for most abortions. A provision of the budget request also sought to eliminate the Dornan Amendment, which restricts federal funding for abortions in Washington, D.C.