Biden vows to codify Roe if Democrats win midterms: ‘You gotta vote’

President cast election as a choice between Republicans who seek to impose a nationwide abortion ban and Democrats who aim to protect it

With Democrats' congressional majorities at risk this November, Joe Biden vowed on Tuesday that the first bill he sent to Capitol Hill next year would codify Roe v Wade - if Americans return his party to power with wide enough margins to pass abortion protections.

It's a major lift for Democrats, who face a challenging political environment marked by a rocky economy and decades-high inflation. But the loss of abortions rights has sparked a political backlash, motivating Democratic voters and women more broadly who have registered to vote in significant numbers since the supreme court's decision to overturn Roe in Dobbs v Jackson.