Senate Republicans have blocked an attempt at an "abortion rights" bill introduced by Democrats.
The two-page bill would have proclaimed Congress' support for abortion access, but it would not have changed anything regarding access to the procedure.
The Republicans did not even allow a debate on the bill, which required 60 votes to move forward—meaning nine right-wing senators would have needed to support the Democrat's effort.
The bill failed on Friday with a procedural vote of 49-44. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski were the only Republicans to cross the aisle.
The Hill reports, "The legislation was a 'sense of Congress' bill that called for supporting access to abortion as well as restoring and building upon the protections enshrined in Roe v. Wade. It was sponsored by all the Democratic women in the Senate, as well as Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)."
“This is a plain, up-or-down vote on whether you support women being able to make their own reproductive health care decisions. It doesn’t force anything, it doesn’t cost anything, it’s actually just a half-page bill simply saying women should have the basic freedom to make their own decisions about their health care,” Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat, said on the Senate floor, according to the report.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, argued that decisions to end a fetus' life should be up to women and their doctors.
“This is our current reality, but it doesn’t have to be our future,” Klobuchar said. “This is a pivotal moment for America: Are we going to move forward and protect freedom, which has long been a hallmark of our nation, or are we going to go further backwards in history — not just to the 1950s but to the 1850s.”
No Republican politicians spoke during the "debate" about the bill.
The Biden administration released a Statement of Administration Policy to support the bill earlier in the week.
The statement read, "Abortion, contraception, and fertility services are under attack as Republicans in Congress refuse to protect nationwide access to this vital reproductive health care. Simply put, Republican elected officials’ extreme agenda is putting women’s health and lives at risk and unleashing chaos and cruelty across America."
