US House votes to restore abortion rights
U.S. House Democrats have pushed forth a bill to restore abortion rights nationwide following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to the Associated Press.
Unfortunately, due to the 50-50 deadlock in the Senate, the bill will be blocked by Republicans unless the filibuster rule is suspended. Despite that, this vote was the first in what the AP called “a new era in the debate” following the court’s decision.
This bill is the first example of how the Roe decision is being handled by lawmakers in Washington. On the state level, governors and legislatures, have taken to either expand abortion protections or outlaw the procedure entirely, in some cases without any exceptions for sexual assault or incest.
- In North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper recently signed an executive order protecting access to reproductive health services. While abortion is still safe and legal in North Carolina, Executive Order 263 helps protect North Carolina doctors and nurses and their patients, including those from other states where abortion is no longer legal.
- U.S. House Democrats have also taken action to protect those seeking reproductive health services across state lines. In a 223-205 vote, Democrats passed protections against punishment for a woman or child who travels to another state to get an abortion.
- A majority of Americans support abortion access and believe that “it should be legal in all or most cases.” In addition, nearly three-fifths of U.S. adults disapprove of the court’s decision. Despite that, extremist Republicans are attempting to strip away a fundamental right from millions across the country.
Because of the court’s decision, states are now able to enact strict abortion limits – and that includes those that were previously ruled unconstitutional. The AP reported that abortion bans can be expected in around 25 states.
Voters here need to know that North Carolina is holding the line on abortion access in the south and November’s election will have serious long-term impacts on abortion and other human rights, both in our state and across the country.
