House passes abortion rights bill in response to restrictive Texas law

House Democrats on Friday approved sweeping legislation to protect abortion rights, a swift but mostly symbolic response to the Supreme Court’s refusal to block a Texas law banning most abortions.

The bill, which passed 218-211, is primarily a manifestation of solidarity, given that the bill, the Women’s Health Protection Act, will face strong opposition from Republicans in the Senate and should not go through the bedroom.

Democrats believe the bill would secure the right to abortion through federal law and cement the Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that established a constitutional right to procedure.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Worked quickly to plan action on the bill after the High Court earlier this month refused to block a controversial Texas law that bans abortions after about six weeks, before most even realize they are pregnant.

Specifically, Texas law states that doctors cannot perform abortions if a fetal heartbeat can be detected, an activity that typically begins around six weeks gestation. This law came into force on September 1.

Texas law does not make exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, and it is unprecedented for private citizens to sue anyone who performs the procedure or “aids and encouragement.” .

Pelosi commented ahead of the bill’s passage on Friday morning and sharply criticized the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision earlier this month. Judges who voted not to block the law focused on procedural issues and stressed that they had yet to judge the constitutionality of the law.

“It’s about freedom. The freedom of women to choose the size and timing of their families, not the business of people on the job. [Supreme] Court or members of Congress, ”said the Speaker of the House.

Representative Pramila Jayapal, Washington Democrat and chair of the Progressive Caucus, said from the House floor that she had aborted and urged her fellow lawmakers not to criminalize the procedure.

“One in four women across America has had an abortion. I am one of them,” she said before the bill was passed. “Ending my pregnancy, Madam President, was not an easy choice for me. But it was my choice. It’s time to save this for everyone.

The law would establish a statutory right for health care providers to provide, and patients to receive, abortion care without certain limitations or requirements.

Specifically, the bill would give patients the right to have an abortion without medically unnecessary tests or procedures – generally understood to include ultrasound scans, counseling or mandatory waiting periods. It would also prevent states from mandating in-person clinical visits before obtaining an abortion, often referred to as “two-trip” requirements.

The bill would prohibit states from prohibiting any abortion prior to fetal viability. It would also prohibit the prohibition of abortion after fetal viability if, in the good faith opinion of the health care provider, the continuation of the pregnancy poses a risk to the life or health of the pregnant patient.

Despite its long chances in the Senate, the House-approved bill could provide fuel to Democrats midway through 2022 and a strong talking point for voters who view the recent Supreme Court ruling as an erosion of rights. that many believed to be established law.

Republicans, including Representative Julia Letlow of Louisiana, protested the bill ahead of the House vote and argued that it went beyond the Roe decision.

Specifically, GOP members say the bill robs states of their ability to regulate abortion. They also argue that the measure would prevent states from introducing measures to make abortions safer and result in many more procedures in the later stages of pregnancy.

“As a woman, and more importantly, a mother of two, I feel uniquely qualified to talk about this,” Letlow said from upstairs in the House.

“The legislation before us is perhaps the most extreme abortion measure Congress has ever considered,” she added. “It will overturn countless protections for unborn children that states have already put in place.”

The tightly Democratic-controlled Senate may not pass the bill because it is unclear whether a majority in the chamber supports it.

Two Democrats, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, did not join the rest of their colleagues in co-sponsoring the Senate version of the bill and are expected to oppose it. Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine who has supported abortion rights in the past, has reportedly said she will not support the bill in its current form.

Even if Democrats managed to muster a majority in the Senate, it is almost certain that Republicans would obstruct the bill and prevent it from moving forward with less than 60 votes.

A group of abortion providers and advocates on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to quickly review their challenge to the Texas law.