WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate failed to advance a bill that would legalize abortion in the U.S. The Senate democrats advocated for this bill following a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that indicates Roe v. Wade, a ruling which legalizes abortion, would be overturned. While passing this bill was a long shot, this vote is considered a symbolic one. The Dems said it will show where each senator stands on this issue.
“Today’s vote is one of the most consequential we will take in decades because for the first time in 50 years, a conservative majority–an extreme majority on the Supreme Court–is on the brink of declaring that women do not have freedom over their own bodies,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D- NY). “One of the longest steps back in the court’s entire history. A decision, if enacted, will go down as one of the worst court decisions ever.”
The Senate essentially had to secure 60 votes to defeat a Republican filibuster to move the Women’s Health Protection Act to a final vote. However, that initial vote tally came down to 49 to 51. Even if it moved to a final vote, the Dems might not have had the votes to pass it anyways. Some Republicans argued that Congress should focus their time on other issues than this.
“Democrats’ radical bill is as extreme as extreme gets,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R- KY). “It ignores modern science; it is tone-deaf to public opinion. Nothing about their bill merely codifies the current case law on this issue.”
This bill already passed the House awhile back but the Senate moved onto this bill following the leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court which would essentially strike down Roe v. Wade. Although the court said that document is authentic, they stressed that it’s not the court’s final opinion.
In a surprising move for the initial vote, Democratic Senator Bob Casey (D- PA), who has leaned more towards the pro-life stance, announced that if that vote came down to a final vote, he would support the WHPA. It’s a move that surprised a lot of people here in Washington. He declined an interview with us on this. Political analysts said the Dems could use this potential Supreme Court decision as a huge rallying cry for the upcoming elections while the Republicans are focusing more on the state of the economy to get their voters to the polls.
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