(RoyalPatriot.com )- On Monday, Senate Republicans blocked the Women’s Health Protection Act when Democrats brought the controversial bill up for a vote.
In fact, the final tally of votes was 46-48. No Republicans supported the measure, and moderate West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin voted against it as well. The bill would have codified a woman’s right to abortion.
Democrats knew that it was highly unlikely that the bill was going to pass through the Senate. But, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pressed forward with a vote anyway, seemingly to try to show voters that the liberal party at least made an effort to pass the legislation.
Many political experts believe Democrats went forward with this vote not because they actually thought it stood a chance to pass, but as a campaign effort leading up to this year’s midterms.
What the vote did do, in their eyes, is let all voters know where they stand, and where Republicans stand, on the issue. Will it work? We’ll have to wait and see.
But, at the same time, a majority of Americans actually support abortion rights, and that includes 35% of Republicans, according to a Vox report. So, this could turn out to be a savvy move by Democrats.
One group that advocates for increased abortion rights, NARAL, believes that Democrats did the right thing by taking the vote. As the group’s vice president of communications and research, Kristin Ford, explained:
“It’s really important to take these critical votes on issues that matter to the American people so voters understand where their elected officials are.”
This is also being done at a time when the Supreme Court is hearing a case regarding Mississippi’s restrictive abortion laws, and when a case out of Texas is climbing through the judicial ranks. The high court could ultimately overturn or at least nullify parts of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which gave women the right to abortions throughout the country.
Because of this possibility, Democrats have been rushing to pass legislation through Congress that would codify abortion rights. If that were to happen, a ruling from the Supreme Court would be moot.
As the president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, Nancy Northrup, said in a statement:
“People are counting on the Senate to do what the Supreme Court will not. The hardship and chaos in Texas right now is coming to other states soon, unless the right to abortion is protected through federal legislation.”
That doesn’t seem likely to happen, though, unless Democrats pull off a stunning upset in the midterm elections and significantly expand their majority in the upper chamber — while also holding onto their slim majority in the House.
If passed, the Women’s Health Protection Act would supersede any state law regarding abortion. Democrats feel this is very important, as 19 states have sought in recent years to curb access to abortion in their states or ban it completely.
The bill proposed barring any six-week and 20-week ban on abortions. It would also prohibit some policies such as waiting periods and requirements for ultrasounds that liberals say are enacted to make it burdensome for women to get an abortion.
