Following a leaked Supreme Court draft decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans to hold a vote on legislation codifying the landmark case next week.
Because the bill requires 60 votes to move forward, the procedural vote is sure to fall short, but Democrats are eager to put Republicans on the record and show their own voters that they are fighting.
To get the bill ready for a first vote on Wednesday, Schumer plans to introduce it on Monday. If Schumer gets his way, it will be the second vote on the matter. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) voted against a similar bill earlier this year, 46-48, with the support of Senate Republicans.
Concerns about the bill have been addressed and support has been bolstered within the Democratic Party. There is a “findings” section that, among other things, refers to abortion restrictions as perpetuating “white supremacy” and calls them a “tool of gender oppression.” This section is being removed.
There’s no telling if those alterations will be enough to win over all 50 Democrats in the upcoming elections. In response to Manchin’s claim that he hadn’t seen the revised text, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he wasn’t sure if they could get Manchin’s vote.
In light of the recent leak of the draft ruling, Republicans have largely ignored the possibility that Roe v. Wade could be overturned.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said in a floor speech earlier this week that “this lawless action should be investigated and punished to the fullest extent possible, to the fullest extent possible.”
In a Politico-Morning Consult poll released on Wednesday, 50 percent of voters said that the landmark case that guarantees abortion access should not be overturned, while 28 percent said it should be overturned.
“All week we’ve seen Republicans duck, dodge, and dip from their responsibility for bringing Roe to the brink of total repeal,” Schumer said.
A clear choice will be made clear to the American people next week, and it will be a choice between siding with extremists who want to ban abortion completely or siding with women, their families, and the vast majority of Americans,” said Schumer.
Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine), who voted against the Democratic bill earlier this year, have introduced a narrower version of Roe’s codification.
In order to garner support for the legislation, they are in talks with their colleagues. Collins stated, “I’ve been talking to a few of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. When asked if he supported the legislation, Manchin said only that “we’re looking at that.”
Senator Dick Durbin (Ill.), the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said he was in contact with Collins. senators murkowski and collins, I’m hopeful we can find some common ground,” durbin said of his discussions with them.
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