Biden’s big speech showed his uneasy approach to abortion, an issue bound to be key in the campaign

WASHINGTON (AP) — Reproductive freedom took center stage during Biden’s State of the Union address, but abortion rights advocates had mixed reactions, raising concerns about the president trying to capitalize on what will be a central campaign issue while avoiding using the word “abortion.”

Abortion rights have proved to be a potent issue driving voters to the polls and boosting Democrats since the U.S. Supreme Court ended a constitutional right to the procedure nearly two years ago. The issue could be pivotal in the presidential race and congressional contests this year.

During Thursday’s speech, Biden deviated from his prepared remarks, skipping over the word “abortion” and instead using the phrases “reproductive freedom” or “freedom to choose.”

The word was used once in his prepared remarks, when he introduced Kate Cox, first lady Jill Biden’s State of the Union guest and a Texas woman who was forced to flee the state for an abortion after finding out her fetus had a fatal condition. The text had Biden saying, “Because Texas law banned abortion.” Instead, he said “Because Texas law banned her ability to act.”

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