WASHINGTON ( Associated Press) — A Senate vote to enshrine access to abortion services established in the Roe v. Wade failed Wednesday due to Republican delaying tactics, in a clear display of the partisan divide in the country over the landmark court decision and the limits of legislative action.
The vote, almost in partisan proportions, promises to be the first of several attempts in Congress to preserve the nearly half-century-old ruling, which declares abortion services a constitutional right, but is in grave danger of being reversed in the coming years. months by the Supreme Court, with a conservative majority.
President Joe Biden said Republicans “have chosen to stand in the way of the rights of Americans to make the most personal decisions about their bodies, their families and their lives.”
Biden called on voters to elect more pro-choice lawmakers in the November election and, in the meantime, vowed to explore other ways to guarantee the rights established in the ruling.
For now, his party’s narrow majority has been unable to overcome the delaying tactics of Republicans, who have worked for decades to appoint conservative Supreme Court justices and end Roe v. Wade. 60 votes were required to proceed with the procedure, but the vote was 51-49 against proceeding.
Congress has debated abortion policy for years, but Wednesday’s vote to accept a measure already passed in the House of Representatives has a new sense of urgency after a draft Supreme Court opinion was leaked. that would reverse the Roe v. Wade that many believed was res judicata.
The court’s decision, which is expected in the middle of the year, will undoubtedly have consequences throughout the country and in the campaigns leading up to the mid-term elections that will determine control of Congress.
There was heavy security at the Capitol, where Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the session, and it was also tightened at the Supreme Court after intense protests last week after the bill was leaked.
Several Democratic representatives marched in protest to the Senate and briefly observed the session from the gallery.
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Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri, Alan Fram, Mary Clare Jalonick, Kevin Freking and Darlene Superville in Washington, and David Sharp in Maine contributed to this report.
