In the last two weeks, Joe Biden spoke during the Pope's trip to North America about several issues, including abortion, during which he spoke his mind about it, to the chagrin of a long-standing progressive cause.
We know Joe's record on women is rather spotty. From Anita Hill to abortion, its hard to say he's great on this issue. He voted for the bullshit "Partial Birth Abortion Act of 2003" that Hillary voted against. While some tried to parse what Joe said is merely a religious comment meant to "appeal to Catholics," here's the thinking that I don't think Joe has abandoned yet.
I don't think that a woman has the sole right to say what should happen to her body.
It would have been one thing if, like Al Gore, Gephardt, he had once been pro-life but switched to vehement pro-choice as those two did, and at heart, if not 100%, in both words and thus showed their trustworthiness for the SCOTUS. But seeing from what Biden said during the papal interview, I don't think he's pro-choice at heart.
Women absolutely do have the right to decide what to do with their bodies and lives. Abortion isn't just a women's issue. Say a young man and his girlfriend do it, the condom breaks, and they're forced to have a baby they may not have planned for, or at the moment cannot afford to raise, or have entry level jobs with bad family free time hours. Both of them don't want it, but the state wants to make them have it. It affects women and men as well.
A President needs not only a litmus test on abortion for SCOTUS picks, but in the primary him/herself on abortion. This revelation about Biden's view not only abortion, but women and their bodies, is the kind of thing that truly scares me of a Democratic version of David Souter. Both Hillary and Bernie have no doubt always honoured a woman's right with respect to their bodies. Also, a Democratic nominee does not vote with Dubya on late term abortion!
PS: Not just Anita, abortion, and women's bodies, but Hillary did not vote for the Bankruptcy Bill of 2005, Sanders voted nay, but Joe...