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The Senate is getting ready for a procedural vote on a bill that would codify a federal right to abortion, after a leaked draft opinion indicated the Supreme Court may soon overturn Roe v. Wade.
At some point Wednesday afternoon, senators are expected to vote on an effort to break a filibuster in order to start debate on the bill. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Democrats are not expected to succeed on this vote, as it would need 60 votes in favor to pass. It remains to be seen whether it will even have the support of a simple majority.
The House of Representatives already passed the Women’s Health Protection Act in September, 218 to 211. The Senate previously fell well short of breaking a filibuster to begin debate on the House bill to codify Roe on Feb. 28.
The House bill calls for a right to perform and receive abortions without restrictions prior to fetal viability. After the point of viability, the bill bans restrictions in cases where the mother’s life or health is at risk.
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Some Democrats have called for abolishing the filibuster so that only 50 votes (plus a tiebreaker from Vice President Kamala Harris) would be needed to pass abortion legislation, but that too appears dead in the water after Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., both said they would not go along with it.
