White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki dodged questions on Tuesday from a reporter with a Catholic news organization about whether President Joe Biden supports forcing doctors to violate their conscience to preform controversial medical procedures.
“There’s pro-life groups right now very concerned about the the phrase ‘pregnancy discrimination’ in the Equality Act,” ETWN reporter Owen Jensen said. “You’re familiar with that I’m sure, that it would force doctors to perform abortions even if it violates their conscience.”
“There are also concerns the bill would force doctors to perform gender transition surgeries and sterilizations again, even if violates their conscience, what does the president, President Biden, say about those concerns?” Jensen asked.
“The president’s been a longtime supporter of Roe v. Wade,” Psaki responded. “It has been his consistent belief that should be law and he will fight to continue to protect that as being law.”
“The conscience concern is not a concern of his?” Jensen pressed.
Psaki dodged the question and later said that Jensen would have to talk to the future HHS secretary about whether Biden would keep the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division at HHS, which was installed by former President Donald Trump.
Jensen asked Psaki about whether Biden would try to use taxpayer money to fund abortions, to which Psaki responded by saying that Biden was a “devout Catholic” and that he goes to church.
Here is the exchange:
JENSEN: Two big concerns for pro-life Americans: the Hyde Amendment, which of course keeps tax payer dollars as you know for abortions, Medicaid abortions. And the Mexico City policy, which under the previous administration, expanded to keep tax dollars from overseas paying for abortions. So what does President Biden planning on doing on those two items right now?
PSAKI: Well, I think we’ll have more to say on the Mexico City policy in the coming days, but I will just take the opportunity to remind all of you that he is a devout Catholic and somebody who attends church regularly. He started his day attending church with his family this morning, but I don’t have anything more for you on that.
WATCH:
Press Secretary Jen Psaki refuses to deny that Biden would force doctors with religious objections to perform abortionspic.twitter.com/rb0TfOVhZY
— Julia Friedland (@JuliaFriedland) March 2, 2021
TRANSCRIPT:
OWEN JENSEN, EWTN GLOBAL CATHOLIC NETWORK: There’s pro-life groups right now very concerned about the the phrase ‘pregnancy discrimination’ in the Equality Act. You’re familiar with that I’m sure, that it would force doctors to perform abortions even if it violates their conscience. There are also concerns the bill would force doctors to perform gender transition surgeries and sterilizations again, even if violates their conscience, what does the president, President Biden, say about those concerns?
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president’s been a longtime supporter of Roe v. Wade. It has been his consistent belief that should be law and he will fight to continue to protect that as being law.
JENSEN: The conscience concerns is not a concern of his?
PSAKI: [Inaudible], I think again, I’m just gonna state with the president’s policies are. Did you have another question?
JENSEN: Will President Biden keep the conscience and religious freedom division at HHS, the office that was put in place under President Trump, but keep it in place to receive conscience complaints from those doctors?
PSAKI: You’ll have to talk to future Secretary Becerra once he is confirmed.