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Democrats bid for federal abortion law fails in the Senate | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
US Senate Democrats have failed to pass a bill to make the right to abortion a federal law, as the nation's top court is poised to curtail it. | |
The move, meant to counter the Supreme Court's expected ruling that abortions can be banned, was seen as doomed from the start. | |
The Democrat-led House passed the bill, but it failed 49-51 in the Senate. | |
Votes were closely watched as abortion emerges as a flashpoint ahead of this year's midterm elections. | |
"Sadly, the Senate failed to stand in defense of a woman's right to make decisions over her own body," Vice-President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, said outside the Senate chamber following the vote. | |
Despite the heightened scrutiny, it appeared to be business-as-usual in the Senate. Vice-President Harris presided over the vote in the mostly-empty chamber as Senators gradually filed in to cast their votes. | |
Wednesday's vote comes as the Supreme Court's nine justices are due to meet for the first time since a draft ruling on abortion rights was leaked last week. | Wednesday's vote comes as the Supreme Court's nine justices are due to meet for the first time since a draft ruling on abortion rights was leaked last week. |
The document suggested the court will overturn Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that granted women a constitutional right to abortion. | The document suggested the court will overturn Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that granted women a constitutional right to abortion. |
The leaked document, in which conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote that Roe was "egregiously wrong", incited a political earthquake and demonstrations - either in protest or celebration - on both sides of the abortion debate. | The leaked document, in which conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote that Roe was "egregiously wrong", incited a political earthquake and demonstrations - either in protest or celebration - on both sides of the abortion debate. |
The draft opinion would not result in a nationwide ban on the procedure, but would allow states to bar abortion outright. | The draft opinion would not result in a nationwide ban on the procedure, but would allow states to bar abortion outright. |
Ahead of the vote, a cluster of House Democrats - mostly women - walked across the Capitol to the Senate, chanting "my body, my decision" as a sign of support for the now failed legislation. | |
The bill before the Senate today, called the Women's Health Protection Act, went beyond simply making Roe v Wade a law. It would also bar states from enacting restrictions deemed "medically unnecessary", such as mandatory waiting periods and regulations on abortion clinics. | |
The law aimed most of its protections for the procedure before the point of foetal viability - approximately 24 weeks into a pregnancy. But it also prohibited bans beyond that time, when "in the good-faith medical judgment of the treating health care provider, continuation of the pregnancy would pose a risk to the pregnant patient's life or health". | |
Some conservative critics say this would effectively legalise abortion for all nine months of pregnancy. | |
All Republicans and one Democrat have opposed it in the evenly divided Senate, where ties are broken by a vote from the vice-president. | All Republicans and one Democrat have opposed it in the evenly divided Senate, where ties are broken by a vote from the vice-president. |
A similar bill failed in February. | A similar bill failed in February. |
However, putting it up for a vote forces senators to go on the record on abortion - a political manoeuvre Democrats hope can place pressure on Republicans ahead of elections in November. | However, putting it up for a vote forces senators to go on the record on abortion - a political manoeuvre Democrats hope can place pressure on Republicans ahead of elections in November. |
"The vote we just took makes crystal clear the contrast between parties as we approach the mid-terms," said Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday. | |
"Elect more pro-choice Democrats if you want to protect a woman's right to choose," he said. "Elect more MAGA Republicans if you want to see a nationwide abortion ban." | |
Before the vote, Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican from Nebraska, argued that lawmakers should promote an "ethic of life", focusing on more support for mothers, rather than on abortion. | |
His comments followed that of Senator Patrick J Leahy of Vermont, the Senate's most senior Democrat, who called it "ludicrous" that a majority-male body would weigh in on women's reproductive health. | |
"Here we are today, a body of 100, 76% of which are male, making decisions about the private lives of the nearly 168 million women in this country," he said. | |
Polls suggest most Americans support at least some access to the procedure. | Polls suggest most Americans support at least some access to the procedure. |
According to a March 2021 survey from the Pew Research Center, 61% of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances. | According to a March 2021 survey from the Pew Research Center, 61% of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances. |
Two Republican senators - Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska - who have said they support some access to abortion are under particular scrutiny, and Ms Murkowski is facing re-election in November. They have said they will not support the bill. | Two Republican senators - Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska - who have said they support some access to abortion are under particular scrutiny, and Ms Murkowski is facing re-election in November. They have said they will not support the bill. |