Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., says he will vote with Republicans to block the Democrats’ abortion rights law that would enshrine into federal law the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
"Make no mistake, it is not Roe v. Wade codification," he said Wednesday of the Women's Health Protection Act. "It is an expansion — it wipes 500 state laws off the books; it expands abortion; and with that, that's not where we are today. We should not be dividing this country further than we're already divided, and it's really the politics of Congress that's dividing the country."
Senate Democrats are moving quickly to try to codify the 50-year-old ruling after a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion suggesting the court is poised to overturn the case was leaked last week. But they don’t have enough votes, and Republicans are expected to block the bill in a test vote Wednesday.
The bill would also expand protections, invalidating many state laws that Democrats and abortion rights advocates say have infringed on the original 1973 ruling. Two Republican senators who support abortion rights have indicated they won’t vote for it, instead favoring their own, narrower legislation.
Manchin also this year voted against the women’s health protection act of 2021.
Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski said they would support codifying Roe but also consider the women’s health protection act too expansive.
Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and co-sponsor of the legislation, said Manchin was wrong.
“I think his interpretation of the bill is incorrect when he says it goes a lot further,” Baldwin told CNN. “Actually, it keeps the states from interfering with Roe v Wade and restricting access.
“That’s the additional provisions of the Women’s Health Protection Act, and they need to be there because you look how many states have taken an action like the Texas law that allows vigilantes to go out and try to find anybody who aided or abetted abortion.”
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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