Rep. Val Demings was elected to Congress in 2016. Before she was elected, she served as the first-ever female chief of police of the Orlando Police Department. She serves on the House Judiciary, Intelligence, and Homeland Security Committees.
Since arriving in Congress, Demings has had 100% ratings from Planned Parenthood Federation of America and NARAL. On the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision in 2020, Demings tweeted a call to "redouble our resistance against attempts" to pass pro-life legislation.
"Women's health is not negotiable. Women's bodies belong to no one but themselves," said Demings.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Sen. Kamala Harris is arguably Biden's frontrunner, and has been in the vice presidential conversation since she suspended her own presidential campaign in December.
Harris is a staunch supporter of legal protection for abortion. As California attorney general, she drew the ire of the state Catholic conference by sponsoring a bill compelling pro-life pregnancy centers advertise for "free or low-cost" abortion services. That law was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2018.
More recently, Harris has confronted Biden over his own record on abortion - challenging the former vice president for not being "pro-choice" enough for the modern Democratic party. And her confrontation has been effective: Harris has been among a group of politicians widely seen to have pushed Biden to the left on abortion.
During the July 31 debate last year, Harris lambasted Biden's long support for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortion services. She accused Biden of "withhold(ing) resources to poor women to have access to reproductive health care, including women who were the victims of rape and incest."
In response, Biden, who opposed Roe vs. Wade early in his career, told Harris that he believes abortion to be a constitutional right. Biden promised that, as president, "I in fact will move as president to see to that the Congress legislates [a right to abortion into] the law."
Amb. Susan Rice
Ambassador Susan Rice served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2009 until June 2013, and then served as President Barack Obama's National Security Advisor for the remainder of his term. She has never actually run for office, although she did briefly ponder the idea of challenging Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) for her Senate seat.
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Rice's name has been put forward as a potential Biden VP. As she has never run for office, she has made few public statements on domestic social issues. Rice was motivated to challenge Collins after her vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been a vocal proponent of abortion, and has 100% ratings from both Planned Parenthood Federation of America and NARAL. She wore a Planned Parenthood scarf to President Donald Trump's inauguration as a show of protest and as a show of support for the nation's largest abortion provider.
Warren published the "Congressional Plan to Protect Choice," a slew of proposals of pro-abortion legislation. These proposed legislation included "federal laws to preempt state efforts that functionally limit access to reproductive health care," which would effectively prevent states from passing pro-life policies; and legislation that would mandate abortion coverage in health plans.
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It is uncertain just when exactly Biden intends on announcing his selection of a running mate. The Democratic National Convention kicks off on August 17, so the announcement will happen sometime before then, likely after August 1.
Christine Rousselle is a former DC Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. Prior to working at CNA, she was the managing web editor of Townhall.com; she has a BA in political science from Providence College.