Senate to vote on a bill that codifies abortion protections, but it will likely fail
NPR Online NewsMay 11, 2022
On Wed., the Women's Health Protection Act, a Democrat-led bill that would've codified abortion rights into federal law, failed to pass the Senate - a largely expected outcome amid GOP resistance.
The vote reached a tally of 49-51, short of the 60-vote threshold needed to pass the bill.
The bill was never likely to pass; the vote was merely a symbolic way to force senators to go on the record about their stance on abortion rights, and face the American people with full transparency. The threat to fundamental reproductive rights is imminent and must be addressed with a sense of urgency.
This bill was a desperate and barbaric attempt to enshrine a virtually unlimited right to abortion at a federal level and override almost all state regulations. The lives of unborn children need to be protected, and this legislation was rightly rejected.
The Women's Health Protection Act, along with the leaked SCOTUS draft, is an attempt to weaponize abortion ahead of the midterms. Both parties are trying to put opposing candidates on the defensive by forcing them to take difficult stances that won't reflect well in the November election.
There's a 90% chance that Roe v. Wade will be overturned before 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.