President Biden campaigned for the White House on the most pro-abortion platform in modern history. The 46th President’s healthcare platform included a promise to expand access to government funded contraception and protect the “constitutional right to an abortion.” He pledged to reverse President Trump’s “all-out assault on women’s right to choose” by restoring taxpayer funds to Planned Parenthood and codifying Roe v. Wade.
Indeed, within the first days of his administration, Biden signed an executive action to “immediately” rescind the Mexico City Policy, which prevents overseas organizations or foreign governments from using American tax dollars to promote abortion. A fact sheet from the White House said the measure was meant to “protect and expand access to comprehensive reproductive health care.”
Accordingly, former Congressman and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra — President Biden’s choice to lead the United States Department of Health and Human Services — is among the most zealously pro-abortion politicians in the Democratic Party.
Here are five things you need to know about Becerra’s record on abortion.
Supported Partial-Birth Abortion
During Becerra’s confirmation hearing, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) asked for an explanation on his opposition to a ban on partial-birth abortion.
“There’s a division in our country with regards to the issue of abortion, of course as you know. Mainstream Republicans, mainstream Democrats disagree, but most people agree that partial-birth abortion is awful. You voted against a ban on partial-birth abortion. Why?” asked Sen. Romney.
Becerra gave an indirect response: “So, senator, here I understand that people have different deeply held beliefs on this issue, and I respect that. I have worked, as I mentioned, for decades trying to protect the health of men and women, young and old. And as attorney general, my job has been to follow the law and make sure others are following the law.”
“I think we can reach common ground on many issues, but on partial-birth abortion, it sounds like we are not going to reach common ground there,” Romney responded.
In 2003, then-Representative Becerra voted against legislation that would institute a federal ban on partial-birth abortion, a graphic procedure in which a doctor removes an unborn baby from his or her mother’s womb and ends their life, often by crushing his or her skull.
Opposed Little Sisters of the Poor
As Attorney General of California, Becerra filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to restore a federal mandate that would compel healthcare insurers to provide contraception coverage despite religious objections. The Obama administration leveraged the same mandate against the Little Sisters of the Poor in 2011.
“Donald Trump wants businesses and corporations to control family planning decisions rather than a woman in consultation with her doctor. These anti-women’s health regulations prove once again that the Trump Administration is willing to trample on people’s rights,” said Attorney General Becerra in a 2017 California Department of Justice press release. “What group of Americans will they target next? Will they allow businesses to deny you cancer treatment? Will they exclude you from insurance coverage because of a pre-existing health condition? The California Department of Justice will fight to protect every woman’s right to healthcare, including reproductive healthcare. We’ll see the Trump Administration in court.”
Four years later, however, Becerra insisted to the Senate that he “never sued any nuns.”
“Mr. Becerra, you said a little while ago that you never sued the nuns, which is a pretty interesting way of reframing your bullying,” pointed out Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE). “You actually sued the federal government who had given an exemption to the nuns. Can you explain to us what the Little Sisters of the Poor were doing wrong?”
Becerra repeatedly provided nonspecific answers before Sen. Sasse moved onto a new question.
Prosecuted Pro-Life Activists
Becerra brought fifteen criminal charges against pro-life individuals who obtained undercover video footage appearing to prove that Planned Parenthood sells the remains of aborted babies.
“The right to privacy is a cornerstone of California’s Constitution, and a right that is foundational in a free democratic society,” said Becerra in 2017. “We will not tolerate the criminal recording of confidential conversations.”
A few years earlier, however, the California Department of Justice turned a blind eye toward animal rights activists who had also violated California’s two-party consent rules — a double standard that Sen. Sasse invoked during Becerra’s confirmation hearing.
“Former abortion industry employees, employees from your state have claimed on camera that babies who survived abortions were left to die by Planned Parenthood staff in your state in clear violation of both state and federal law,” noted the Nebraska lawmaker. “Instead of investigating these claims, you raided the houses of the filmmakers who brought these atrocities to light. Why did you do that?”
“Senator, again, I respect the way you framed it. I would say to you that it’s clear that we have to look at it differently,” responded Becerra. “California has privacy laws, and we enforce privacy laws. When we take action based on violation of privacy laws, it’s because we have evidence that the rights of Californians to their privacy has been violated. You’ve described it differently. But what I will say to you is my job is to follow the law and make sure others do as well.”
Voted Down Hyde Amendment
During his first year in Congress, Becerra voted against the Hyde amendment — a federal provision stating that Medicare dollars cannot be used for abortions.
Before the Hyde amendment took effect in 1980, the federal government used taxpayer funds to pay for roughly 300,000 abortions annually.
Like his Health and Human Services nominee, President Biden’s campaign platform states that he “supports repealing the Hyde Amendment,” because healthcare “is a right that should not be dependent on one’s zip code or income.”
Earned Perfect Rating From Planned Parenthood
Due to his three decades of using public office to support abortion, Becerra received a perfect rating from Planned Parenthood — a multibillion-dollar nonprofit that executes one-third of abortions in the United States.
Planned Parenthood’s most recent annual report reveals that the organization carried out 354,871 abortions in the last fiscal year. In spite of the Trump administration’s pro-life actions and the COVID-19 pandemic, Planned Parenthood’s abortion tally reached record highs.
Planned Parenthood has also spent millions lobbying the federal government, including nearly $900,000 in 2020, according to data compiled by Open Secrets.
Becerra likewise received perfect ratings from Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. He received “0%” ratings from the National Right to Life Committee, the Family Research Council, and other pro-life organizations.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.