WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked Democrat-led legislation to revive Roe v. Wade protections. Wade after the Supreme Court eliminated the national right to abortion.
The vote was 49-44, falling short of the supermajority needed to defeat a filibuster due to widespread opposition from Republicans, who called it a political stunt.
The Women’s Reproductive Freedom Act, introduced last month on the second anniversary of the court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, it’s only a few sentences long. It states that “protections for access to the right to abortion and other reproductive health care” following the 2022 ruling “must be supported.” It adds that “the protections enshrined in Roe v. Wade… it must be restored and built, moving towards a future where there is reproductive freedom for all.”
It’s part of a series of reproductive rights bills that Senate Democrats, who narrowly control the chamber 51-49, have forced through a vote ahead of the 2024 elections.
“Will Republicans support the majority of Americans, support the mainstream, and resist Donald Trump by affirming a woman’s fundamental right to choose?” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said before the vote.
“Of course, many Republicans would prefer to sweep reproductive health under the rug, saying it’s political, but that’s not political,” he said. “This is the essence of what elected government is like. We all know that these issues are deeply personal for many people. And Americans should be able to see how their senators vote.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, were the only Republicans to vote in favor of the measure. Schumer changed his vote to “no” at the end for procedural reasons, to preserve his option to introduce the bill again in the future.
Senate Democrats have tried to put Republicans in a tight spot between the desires of their conservative base and the US majority – with recent votes in support of legal access to abortion, contraception and in vitro fertilization.
“We call this the summer of Schumer showing votes,” said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., calling the measure symbolic and declaring before the vote that it had “no possibility of becoming law” and was drafted as a measure policy. messaging vehicle for Democratic candidates.
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