Senate to vote on nationwide abortion bill ahead of Roe decision

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The Senate is set to vote Wednesday on advancing a Democratic-led bill that would enshrine broad protections for legal abortion nationwide, a move triggered by a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that indicates Roe v. Wade will likely be overturned.

The vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act, which has passed the House, is all but certain to fail, with just 49 senators expected to support the measure, below the 60-vote requirement to defeat a Republican filibuster.

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Democratic leaders see the vote as an opportunity to stir up their base ahead of midterm elections in November in which their party faces stiff headwinds, from President Joe Biden’s negative approval ratings to voter concerns about inflation. Strategists in the party hope to make an impression on the sizable majority of Americans who want to uphold Roe v. Wade.

Among the 50 Democrats, only Sen. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, opposes the bill. He affirmed Wednesday he would vote to block it, arguing that it goes beyond simply codifying existing abortion protections, and added he would support a narrower bill.

“Make no mistake. It is not Roe v. Wade codification. It’s an expansion,” he said. “It expands abortion… We should not be dividing this country further than we’re already divided.”

Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, of Pennsylvania, who has held anti-abortion views for years, came out in favor of the bill Tuesday, saying the circumstances have changed.