The U.S. House of Representatives has voted in favor of restoring abortion rights nationwide in the Democrats ’first legislative response to the historic Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
The bill has little chance of becoming law, without the necessary 50-50 Senate support.
However, the vote marks the beginning of a new era in the debate, as legislators, governors and legislatures face the impact of the court’s decision.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California on the right, accompanied by women House Democrats, holds an event ahead of the House vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Law to Ensure women’s right to reproductive freedom at the Washington Capitol on Friday, July 15th. 2022. (Photo AP / Andrew Harnik) (AP)
The law was passed 219-210. The House also passed a second bill to ban punishment for a woman or child who decides to travel to another state to have an abortion, 223-205.
“Just three weeks ago, the Supreme Court made a demolition ball to fundamental rights in annulling Roe v. Wade,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before the vote, meeting with other women Democrats on the steps of the Capitol.
“It is outrageous that 50 years later, women have to fight again for our most basic rights against an extremist court.”
Protesters gather at the federal courthouse following the Supreme Court’s decision to revoke Roe v. Wade, June 24, 2022, in Austin, Texas. (AP)
Republicans spoke out strongly against the two bills, praising the Supreme Court’s decision and warning that the legislation would go beyond what Roe never did when it comes to legalizing abortion.
Urging her colleagues to vote no, Washington GOP Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers called abortion “the biggest human rights issue of our generation.”
He said Democratic legislation “has nothing to do with protecting women’s health. It has everything to do with forcing an extreme agenda on the American people.”
In overturning Roe, the court has allowed states to enact strict abortion limits, including many that had previously been considered unconstitutional. The ruling is expected to lead to a ban on abortion in about half of the states.
Pelosi speaks as the House votes to restore the right to abortion. (AP)
Already, several GOP-controlled states have moved quickly to reduce or ban abortion, while Democratic-controlled states have tried to defend access.
Voters now see abortion as one of the most pressing issues facing the country, a shift in priorities that Democrats hope will reshape the political landscape in their favor for the midterm elections.
This is the second time the House has passed the bill, which would extend the protections Roe had previously provided by banning what supporters say are medically unnecessary restrictions that block access to safe and accessible abortions.
It would prevent the ban on abortion before 24 weeks, which is when fetal viability, the ability of a human fetus to survive outside the womb, is believed to begin.
It allows exceptions for post-fetal viability abortions when a provider determines that the mother’s life or health is at risk.
The Democrats’ proposal would also prevent states from requiring providers to share “medically inaccurate” information, or to require additional testing or waiting periods, often intended to deter a patient from having an abortion.
Protesters for abortion rights gather after Supreme Court decision to revoke Roe v. Wade and the right to federally protected abortion in San Francisco City Council on Friday, June 24, 2022. The Supreme Court has put an end to constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place for almost 50 years, a decision by his Conservative majority to overturn the court’s historic abortion cases. (Photo AP / Josie Lepe) (AP)
The bill that would ban punishment for traveling outside the state would specify that doctors cannot be punished for providing reproductive care outside of their home state.
Democratic Rep. Lizzie Fletcher of Texas, one of the authors of the bill, said the threats to travel “do not reflect the fundamental rights granted to our Constitution.”
Democrats have highlighted the case of a 10-year-old girl who had to cross state borders in Indiana to have an abortion after being raped, calling it an example of how the court’s decision is already having. serious consequences.
“We don’t have to imagine why this might matter. We don’t need to evoke hypotheses. We already know what happened,” Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar told the Senate Thursday.
“Should the right of the next 10-year-old girl or the right of 12 or the right of 14 to receive the care she desperately needs be jeopardized?”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California speaks with her supporters as she and House Democrats hold an event ahead of the House vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Women’s Health Act. guaranteeing women’s right to reproductive freedom at the Washington Capitol on Friday, July 15th. , 2022. (Photo AP / Andrew Harnik) (AP)
The Constitution does not explicitly state that travel between states is a right, although the Supreme Court has said it is a right that has been “firmly established and recognized repeatedly.”
However, the court has never said where exactly the right to travel comes from and this could leave it open to challenge or elimination, such as the right to abortion.
Missouri lawmakers earlier this year, for example, deemed it illegal to “help or encourage” abortions that violate Missouri law, even if they occur outside the state. Finally, the proposal was filed.
Democrats have prepared more bills to pass in the coming weeks. Majority leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Said Friday that the House will vote next week on legislation guaranteeing the right to contraception.
Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford, who supports the national ban on abortion, on Thursday accused his colleagues across the aisle of wanting to “inflame” the issue of abortion.
Advocates for abortion rights and anti-abortion protesters are protesting before the U.S. Supreme Court, with Roe v. Wade facing its strongest threat in decades (AP)
He said advocates of the travel bill should ask, “Does the child in the womb have the right to travel in his future?”
Only two Senate Republicans, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, have supported abortion rights, but they do not support the Democrats’ proposal, saying it is too far-reaching.
They have introduced alternative legislation that would prohibit states from imposing an “undue burden” on a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion before fetal viability, among other provisions.
When pressure was pressed Thursday on whether Democrats should work with the two senators, Pelosi declined: “We will not negotiate the right to choose a woman.”
An explosion of protests erupts in the United States following the ruling on abortion rights
Since the court ruling last month, some activists have accused President Joe Biden and other top Democrats of not responding with enough force to the decision.
Her administration has also warned medical providers that they must offer abortion if the mother’s life is at risk.
Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee has already launched a digital advertising campaign to energize voters on the issue, warning that the ultimate goal of Republicans is to ban abortion nationwide.
“We need to elect a couple more Democratic senators so we can avoid obstruction and be able to pass legislation that really affects women’s right to choose,” she said. “There is no measure halfway.”