Just hours after delivering his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden was confronted by a reporter who asked him why he supports abortion despite his Catholic beliefs.
The exchange came as Biden took questions from the press outside the White House on Ash Wednesday.
"Last night, you said you support Roe v. Wade," the reporter said. "As a Catholic, why do you support abortion?"
In response, the President asserted that he did not want to get into theological debates.
He said, "I'll tell you what, I don't want to get in a debate with you on theology. But you know …," the President started before his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, approached him, tapping his arm. "Well, anyway. I'm not going to make a judgment for other people," he concluded.
The reporter, however, persisted, exclaiming, "but you're Catholic!" Biden did not engage with the reporter's comment and moved on to take questions from others.
REPORTER: "As a Catholic, why do you support abortion?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 2, 2022
BIDEN: "I don't want to get in a debate with you on theology, but you know...I'm not going to make a judgement for other people."
REPORTER: "But you're Catholic!" pic.twitter.com/KR7njW1cW9
A clip of the confrontation, which circulated on social media, shows that Biden had ashes on his forehead as part of the tradition of Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday, which is not a federal holiday, is observed by Catholics and some Protestants. Traditionally, churchgoers have ashes rubbed on their foreheads in the shape of a cross on the first day of Lent. Those observing lent also generally abstain from food or a bad habit for six weeks, starting on the first day of Lent and ending on Easter Sunday.
Biden's remarks come shortly after he defended Roe v. Wade – the 1973 decision which legalized abortion in the U.S. – during his first State of the Union address Tuesday night.
"The constitutional right affirmed by Roe v. Wade – standing precedent for half a century – is under attack as never before," he said. "If you want to go forward – not backwards – we must protect access to health care. Preserve a woman's right to choose. And continue to advance maternal health care for all Americans."
According to Faithwire, the Supreme Court will decide on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case in the upcoming months. The case at hand challenges Mississippi's ban on abortion 15 weeks after pregnancy, which could result in the overturning of Roe should the nation's high court rule in favor of Mississippi.
Related:
Biden Backs Roe v. Wade in State of the Union: 'Preserve a Woman's Right to Choose'
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
