On Friday, the House passed a bill to protect people traveling out of state to access abortion care in a 223-205 vote, following the Supreme Court’s ruling last month. past announcing Roe v.
Driving the news: House lawmakers also passed a bill codifying abortion protection that was guaranteed by Roe in federal law. This law had already passed the House in 2021, but failed in the Senate.
The big picture: Without Roe, states have the authority to regulate abortion at any point during pregnancy. Many states have already moved to ban or severely restrict access to the procedure.
Details: Abortion Access Insurance, introduced by Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas), seeks to ban states from interfering with Americans ’interstate travel to access abortion assistance.
The Women’s Health Protection Act (passed in a vote 219-210), authored by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Prohibits states from banning abortion before it becomes viable. It also prevents them from asking a patient to “make visits in a medically useless person” before getting the procedure.
Between the lines: Democrats, including President Biden, want to get rid of the filibuster to successfully pass abortion protection legislation in both chambers.
Be smart: Because Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) And Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) Are opposed to changing Senate rules to pass abortion legislation and there aren’t 10 Republican Senators who support abortion rights. Chu, the WHPA author, told Axios that Democrats need two more senators to support the release of the filibuster, as well as to vote to pass abortion protection.
The other part: anti-abortion groups have said they are working with Republican lawmakers to create a plan to ban abortion across the country. Such a bill has not been introduced in Congress.
