FLIP FLOP JOE? 2006 Video Surfaces of Joe Biden Saying Abortion Is “Not a Choice and a Right”

While Donald J. Trump has remaining consistent like a rock for over 30 years, Biden looks to be flip-flopping on a big one.  

An old video has just surfaced of him saying he doesn't view abortion as a "right" or a "choice".

Even the New York Times has covered the flip-flop:

In a newly unearthed video from 2006, Joseph R. Biden Jr. said he supported Roe v. Wade but did not view abortion as “a choice and a right” — remarks that raise further questions about how he views abortion rights as he runs for the Democratic presidential nomination and faces pressure over his position on the issue.

“I do not view abortion as a choice and a right. I think it’s always a tragedy,” Mr. Biden said in a videotaped interview with Texas Monthly, resurfaced on Thursday by CNN. “I think it should be rare and safe,” he added. “I think we should be focusing on how to limit the number of abortions.”

Mr. Biden referred to himself as a “little bit of an odd man out in my party” because he wouldn’t vote for federal financing of abortions, had voted to limit late-term abortions, but supported Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the legal right to the procedure.

Texas Monthly Talks: Joe BidenCreditCreditVideo by texasmonthly

The video added a new dimension to Mr. Biden’s vacillating record on abortion. Citing his Roman Catholic faith, Mr. Biden has in the past tried to stake out a middle ground on the issue, asserting his support for individual abortion rights while insisting that taxpayers should not fund abortions.

Last Wednesday Mr. Biden’s staff said he maintained his longstanding position in support of the Hyde Amendment. The provision bans federal funding for abortion in most cases, meaning the procedure is available only to women with private insurance and those who can afford it.

The next day, faced with mounting backlash from the Democratic base and his primary opponents, Mr. Biden announced he had reversed that position.

“If I believe health care is a right, as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone’s ZIP code,” he said at a dinner in Atlanta hosted by the Democratic National Committee.

The reversal came during a time of heightened concern among abortion rights activists, as numerous states, primarily in the South, have passed laws sharply limiting the procedure.

Hey Joe, if you're trying to reach John Kerry levels of flip-flopping, I'd say you're getting real close!

And from CNN:

Former Vice President Joe Biden described himself in 2006 as an "odd man out" within his own party on the issue of abortion, saying he made all sides angry with his approach.

Biden made the comments ahead of his 2008 presidential bid in a March 2006 interview with Texas Monthly. Video was later posted on YouTube in 2008 and reviewed by CNN's KFile. The interview highlights how Biden has long staked out a more middle-ground approach on abortion rights compared to many in the Democratic Party.

Biden's views on abortion rights faced scrutiny last week from advocacy groups and his Democratic rivals when his campaign announced he still supported the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal government funds from being used to pay for abortion except in cases of rape or incest and to save the life of the mother. Amid the criticism, Biden then quickly reversed his long-held position but said it was Republican attacks on Roe v. Wade -- not political pressure -- that led him to change course.

In the 2006 video, Biden called himself the "odd man out" in the Democratic Party on the issue because of his votes to limit government funding for abortion and votes in support of bans on certain late-term abortions.

"I'm a little bit of an odd man out in my party," Biden said. "I do not vote for funding for abortion. I voted against partial birth abortion -- to limit it -- and I vote for no restrictions on a woman's right to be able to have an abortion under Roe v. Wade. And, so I am -- I made everybody angry. I made the right-to-life people angry because I won't support a constitutional amendment or limitations on a woman's right to exercise her constitutional right as defined by Roe v. Wade. And I've made the groups -- the women's groups and others -- very angry because I won't support public funding and I won't support partial birth abortion."

Biden also said he would have difficulty navigating the issue in a Democratic presidential field.

"It's going to be very difficult," Biden said. "I do not view abortion as a choice and a right. I think it's always a tragedy, and I think that it should be rare and safe, and I think we should be focusing on how to limit the number of abortions. There ought to be able to have a common ground and consensus as to do that."

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"I think the vast majority of the American people think that can be done. But unfortunately, we're put in the position, you're either, 'eliminate abortions under all circumstance' or quote 'abortion on demand,'" he added. "The fact of the matter is, I've never known of a woman having an abortion say 'By the way, I feel like having an abortion.' It's always a tragic decision made. Always a difficult decision. And I think we should focus on how to deal with women not wanting abortion."

Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates did not directly address the former vice president's 2006 comments when reached for comment, but said Biden supports abortion rights. 

"Vice President Biden supports a woman's right to choose and he believes that we are in a moment of unprecedented assault on choice in this country," Bates said. "As president, he would fight to preserve Roe v. Wade and he has called for it to be codified into law," Bates said. "Vice President Biden would nominate judges who would stand firm on upholding all of our constitutional rights, including a woman's right to choose. If you look at his record on Supreme Court nominees you will see who he's fought for — Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg — and who he's fought against — Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito."

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