Catholic Joe Biden is REFUSED Holy Communion at South Carolina church by priest who claims he ‘advocates for abortion’
LIFE-LONG Catholic Joe Biden has been refused Holy Communion by a priest who accused the presidential hopeful of 'advocating for abortion'.
Biden attended a morning mass in South Carolina on Sunday when Father Robert E. Morey, from Saint Anthony Catholic Church in Florence, said he refused to administer the Catholic sacrament because of his stance on abortion.
The Reverend told the “Sadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to former vice president Joe Biden."
He added: “Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, each other and the Church. Our actions should reflect that.
"Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching.
“I will keep Mr. Biden in my prayers."
Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching.
Father Robert E. Morey
Biden, a lifelong Catholic, was in South Carolina for appearances on the Democratic campaign trail.
Abortion in the traditionally conservative US state is legal.
The former vice president has publicly changed his stance on abortion policy over the decades.
He recently disagreed with a proposal to outlaw abortions in South Carolina after about six weeks of pregnancy after Senate Republicans removed protections in the bill for women who become pregnant from rape or incest.
The 76-year-old has also flip-flopped on his position on the 1976 Hyde Amendment, a ban on federal funding for abortions.
Earlier this year the presidential hopeful announced his opposition to the amendment.
On September 23 he tweeted: "Let’s be clear, this ban is dangerous and directly violates a woman's constitutional right to choose. We must stop it.
"As president, I will codify Roe into federal law and ensure this choice remains between a woman and her doctor."
But days later at a gala, he was reported as saying that he does not support the amendment.
He declared his support for a Medicare-like public option as the next step toward universal coverage, reasoning women must have full and fair access to care, including abortion.
However, in an interview in 2015, Biden stated that he believes 'abortion is always wrong' but he will not impose his beliefs on the rest of the country through anti-abortion legislation.
ABORTION REGULATIONS
Although abortion is a constitutional right in the United States, different states can regulate abortions from the second trimester.
This year a wave of new laws have been attempted to be introduced to restrict abortions.
As recently as May 2019 Alabama lawmakers passed a near-total ban on abortions - including in cases of rape and incest.
The new law intends to make it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy - punishable by up to 99 years in jail.
The only exception would be when the woman’s health is at serious risk.
The historic legislation is designed to go against the US Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio and Mississippi all passed controversial heartbeat laws.
Biden is competing with 19 others for the Democratic presidential nomination and the chance to likely face President Donald Trump next year in the general election.
Which US states have banned abortion?
Successful bans on all or most abortions are currently rolled out in:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Mississippi
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Louisiana
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.