Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked Democrats from advancing a bill to express support for codifying the federal right to abortion previously afforded under Roe v. Wade. The test vote failed 49-44, with all but two Republicans voting in opposition.
It needed 60 votes to survive. Democrats are seeking to restore the federal right to abortion after the Supreme Court two years ago overturned Roe with a new decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that said the Constitution does not provide a right to abortion and left it up to the states to decide what abortion rights or restrictions to enact.
However, the bill they brought to the floor on Wednesday was a nonbinding measure that simply expressed the “sense of Congress” that the protections previously enshrined in Roe “should be restored and built upon, moving towards a future where there is reproductive freedom for all.” Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who have a history of supporting abortion rights, voted to advance the bill.
Most Republicans agree with the Dobbs decision that abortion law should be left to the states, although some still prefer to go further with a national abortion ban. Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has said he would not pursue a national ban and would leave it up to the states to decide. Following Mr.
Trump’s lead, the Republican National Committee this week adopted a 2024 platform that omitted languag.
