The U.S. Senate fell far short Wednesday in a rushed effort toward enshrining Roe v. Wade abortion access as federal law, blocked by a Republican filibuster in a blunt display of the nation's partisan divide over the landmark court decision and the limits of legislative action.
The almost party-line tally promises to be the first of several efforts in Congress to preserve the nearly 50-year-old court ruling, which declares a constitutional right to abortion services but is at serious risk of being overturned this summer by a conservative Supreme Court.
The outcome of the conservative-majority court's actual ruling, expected this summer, is sure to reverberate around the country and on the campaign trail ahead of the fall midterm elections that will determine which party controls Congress. Over several days, Democratic senators delivered speeches contending that undoing abortion access would mean great harm, not only for women but for all Americans planning families and futures.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, an architect of the effort to install conservative justices on the Supreme Court - including three during the Trump era - has sought to downplay the outcome of any potential changes in federal abortion policy.Some other Republicans, including Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, argue that the House-passed bill is more extreme than Roe, and would expand abortion access beyond what is already the law.
Before Wednesday's vote, White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration's position has been clear: “We will defend women's constitutional rights recognized in Roe v. Wade.” Wednesday's failure renewed calls to change Senate rules to do away with the high-bar filibuster threshold, at least on this issue.
Nigeria Latest News, Nigeria Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Roe v. Wade could define the Conservative racePolitics Insider for May 10: Shaw stocks plummet; how Canada secretly got Justin Trudeau to Ukraine; feminists call for review of RCMP's 'toxic culture'
Read more »
Democrats' effort to secure Roe v. Wade falls to filibusterThe Senate fell far short Wednesday in a rushed effort toward enshrining Roe v. Wade abortion access as federal law, blocked by a Republican filibuster in a blunt display of the nation's partisan divide over the landmark court decision and the limits of legislative action.
Read more »
Mississippi governor doesn't rule out ban on contraception if Roe v. Wade fallsGovernor Tate Reeves\u0027 comments come days after Louisiana Republicans advanced a bill that would charge abortion as homicide
Read more »
New York Times apologizes for using 'fetus' as Wordle solution amid Roe v. Wade decision\u0027This is entirely unintentional and a coincidence — today’s original answer was loaded into Wordle last year\u0027
Read more »
Kathryn Marshall: Overturning Roe v. Wade would be a huge setback for the women's rights movementRoe isn’t just an American legal decision. It has profound symbolic meaning for women everywhere who believe that a woman’s right to choose is a fundamental…
Read more »
Most Canadians support abortion rights as U.S. grapples with Roe v. Wade: poll - National | Globalnews.caAbout four in five respondents to the online survey said they are in favour of a woman's right to an abortion if she so chooses, while 14 per cent said they are opposed.
Read more »