Biden: National abortion law unlikely

President Biden said Monday that Democrats still lack the power to codify abortion rights into law despite his party’s stronger-than-expected performance in the midterm elections.

“I don’t think there’s enough votes,” he said at a news conference during the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia.

Biden’s blunt comments reflected how Democrats’ euphoria over their strength in the midterms will soon collide with the likely reality of divided government in Washington.

During the campaign, Biden said that if Democrats picked up seats, the first piece of legislation that he would send to Congress would be to enact a nationwide right to abortion.

The right was previously guaranteed only by the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, and the court’s conservative majority overturned that ruling earlier this year.

Although Democrats defied historical odds by avoiding a midterm wipeout, they did not gain enough ground to ensure abortion access nationwide.

Asked what voters might expect on the issue, Biden replied, “I don’t think they can expect much of anything.”