Washington (AFP) - With abortion a hot-button issue in the US 2024 presidential race, Joe Biden on Friday won the endorsement of leading groups advocating for reproductive rights.
Planned Parenthood, NARAL and Emily's List threw their support behind Biden's reelection bid along with his running mate Vice President Kamala Harris.
"When people want to know where @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris stand on reproductive freedom, we tell them: they are unwavering," Planned Parenthood, the country's leading abortion provider and advocacy organization, said on Twitter.
In endorsing Biden and Harris, NARAL, another powerful abortion advocacy group, said the pair "have done more to defend and expand reproductive freedom than any other administration in history."
The announcement comes on the anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion, which made reproductive rights a prerogative of the states.
After many states moved to curb access to abortion, Biden on Friday signed an executive order aimed at strengthening access to contraception.
- Christian right --
On the other side of ever-deepening political divide, abortion opponents from the conservative Faith and Freedom Coalition were to hold a rally in Washington Friday, with Republican presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and far-right Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, slated to speak.
The American Christian right played a central role in getting the landmark Roe v Wade decision overturned on June 24 last year.
Since then, 20 states, mainly located in the center and south of the country, have enforced bans or strong restrictions on abortion, while liberal-leaning states on the eastern and western coasts have passed new protections.
Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, has not always been a stout defender of abortion rights.
But in recent years, 80-year-old Democrat, whose approval ratings remain anemic, has taken on the role of the country's top advocate, a stance he hopes will give him a boost in the election.
According to a recent CBS/YouGov poll, 63 percent of Americans oppose a federal ban on abortion.
- Vote-winner? -
Biden's predecessor Donald Trump, his most serious rival in the 2024 race, recently said that the Supreme Court's decision was "God's will."
But, unlike some conservatives, he is not calling for a federal ban.
For his part, Biden, without a strong majority in Congress, has limited powers.
Still, after Roe was struck down, he issued several decrees to marginally protect access to abortion as well as announcing new protections for contraception.
The issue of abortion rights crystallizes divisions in the United States and for many voters it is a key factor on election day, a trend that has become more pronounced since Roe was overturned.
According to a Gallup poll published earlier this week, 28 percent of registered voters say they vote exclusively based on a candidate's stance on abortion, compared to 27 percent a month earlier, already a record level.
