Pelosi Vows to Codify Roe v. Wade, Despite Admitting She Doesn’t Like to Use the Word ‘Abortion’

At a press conference today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) today vowed to codify Roe v. Wade in the wake of a Supreme Court decision which upheld a ban on abortions after six weeks in Texas.

Towards the end of the press conference, however, Pelosi admitted that she doesn’t like to use the word “abortion.”

Pelosi was attempting to explain that she felt that it was a “health issue” while responding to a question and that she came from a “pro-life family.”

“Other countries like Ireland, they had a referendum on the ballot, they had two actually, two different referendums one was marriage equality, which passed in the Catholic country of Ireland and they had one about abortion, I don’t even like to use the word, and it passed because people did not politicize these kinds of issues,” Pelosi stated.

Join me live with Rep. Doggett in Austin to highlight Democrats’ priorities in the forthcoming #BuildBackBetter Act that will lower health care costs. https://t.co/WmHI4CI0Mu

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) September 2, 2021

Nancy Pelosi says she doesn’t like to use the word “abortion.” Why not? pic.twitter.com/0pP5tHsjHx

— Kyle Martinsen (@KyleMartinsen_) September 2, 2021

In regards to the codification of Roe v. Wade, Pelosi said, “When we go back to Washington, we will be putting Roe v. Wade codification on the floor of the House, to make sure that women everywhere have access to the reproductive health that they need.”

In the wake of the decision, Pelosi released a statement where she called the decision by the Supreme Court “cowardly.”

“The Court’s cowardly decision to uphold a flagrantly unconstitutional assault on women’s rights and health is staggering. The House will bring up Congresswoman Judy Chu’s Women’s Health Protection Act to enshrine into law reproductive health care for all women across America.”

“Every woman has the constitutional right to basic health care. SB8 is the most extreme, dangerous abortion ban in half a century & its purpose is to destroy Roe v. Wade, and even refuses to make exceptions for cases of rape and incest. This ban necessitates codifying Roe v. Wade.”

“When the Supreme Court takes up its reproductive rights case this year, we urge it to uphold, as Justice Sotomayor wrote in her dissent, ‘its constitutional obligations to protect not only the rights of women, but also the sanctity of its precedents and of the rule of law.’”

U.S. House Rep Michael Guest (R-MS) denounced Pelosi’s attempt to “undermine” the Supreme Court in a tweet, following her announcement.

“Speaker Pelosi has already announced her plan to undermine states’ rights and attack Texas’s new abortion law. I applaud Texas’s decision as a win for the Pro-Life community. I will vote against any bill that would undermine states’ rights and the pro-life movement,” Guest insisted.

Speaker Pelosi has already announced her plan to undermine states’ rights and attack Texas’s new abortion law.

I applaud Texas’s decision as a win for the Pro-Life community.

I will vote against any bill that would undermine states’ rights and the pro-life movement.

— Congressman Michael Guest (@RepMichaelGuest) September 2, 2021