US House passes pro-choice bills following overturning of Roe v. Wade
3 Min Read
The US House of Representatives passes two bills overriding the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade and bolstering women's federal right to abortion.
-
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during her weekly press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on July 14, 2022 (AFP)
The US House of Representatives passed on Friday two bills ensuring that women's access to abortion is federally protected in response to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the ruling that conferred the right of women to have an abortion if they so wished.
The Supreme Court's decision granted states to restrict abortion however they saw fit and regulate the procedure according to the court's written opinion.
"The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives," the ruling said.
Human rights experts from the United Nations condemned the Supreme Court decision and urged US President Joe Biden to take all necessary steps to mitigate its repercussions.
The decision sparked nationwide protests demanding the overturning of the decision.
Lawmakers passed the Women's Health Protection Act with 219 votes in favor and 210 against. The Republican party unanimously opposed the first bill, and only one Democrat lawmaker chimed in, voting against its passage.
The second bill was slightly more accepted on the House floor, passing with 223 votes in favor and 205 against. Three Republican lawmakers joined the united front of the Democrats in passing the bill.
The Women’s Health Protection Act prohibits governmental restrictions on access to abortion services, including restrictions on requirements to consult with providers or disclose reasons for pursuing an abortion before obtaining one.
The Ensuring Access to Abortion Act similarly prohibits state officials from interfering with people’s ability to access out-of-state abortion services, including the prevention, impedition, or retaliation against those who engage in interstate travel for the purpose of obtaining or helping a second party obtain an abortion.
The two bills are expected to face a lot more resistance on the split Senate floor than they did in the House of Representatives, given that the Democrats hold a very slight majority in the Senate, including the vote of Vice President Kamala Harris.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Friday the bills as "landmark pieces of legislation" and affirmed Democrats’ commitment to abortion rights.
"As we pass this landmark legislation today, Democrats will not stop ferociously defending freedom for women and for every American," Pelosi told a press conference.
"[W]e want everybody to know, women out there who are concerned about their own personal reproductive freedom and what it means to their health, that the message from the House Democrats and our groups here today is: we are not going back," she added.
Pelosi also used the pro-choice movement as a platform to spread pro-Democrat propaganda, reiterating US President Joe Biden's call for Americans to vote for Democrat candidates in the November midterm elections due to their pro-choice stance.
