The House vote will be largely symbolic given that the bill, the Women’s Health Protection Act, has little chance of advancing because of Republican opposition in the Senate.
Democrats moved swiftly to schedule action on the Women’s Health Protection Act after the Supreme Court refused this month to block a Texas law that prohibits most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. WASHINGTON — House Democrats plan on Friday to push through broad legislation to uphold abortion rights, taking urgent action after a major Supreme Court setback as they brace for a ruling next year that could further roll back access to abortion nationwide.
“It became very evident that we needed to have something that would push back against all these state restrictions,” said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., the lead author of the measure. “We could see that change was possible at the Supreme Court, and we knew we had to make sure that Roe v. Wade was protected.
At least two Democrats who oppose abortion rights, Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, are against the legislation. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, has been reluctant to bring up measures in the evenly divided chamber that do not have at least 50 votes. Even if the bill could win a slim majority, Republicans would be certain to filibuster it, preventing it from advancing unless it could attract 60 votes, a number that seems far out of reach.
The Democrats’ strong push for the abortion rights measure reflects a changing political dynamic in the party. In the past, Democratic leaders were reluctant to emphasize measures such as the women’s health bill for fear of putting centrists in swing districts in a tough position and potentially alienating voters.
Multiple public opinion polls conducted since the Supreme Court agreed to take on the Mississippi case have reflected strong support for keeping abortion legal — nearly 60% in some surveys — though that support typically declines for abortions performed later in pregnancies.
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