Senate Democrats announced plans on Wednesday to force a number of pro-abortion bills, a move to highlight Republican opposition to the measures to mark one year since the Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans to bring to the floor four bills that seek to expand abortion access for women in the United States through a procedure that requires unanimous consent. This means an objection from a single lawmaker would result in the failure of the measures.
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The attempt to move the bills are all expected to fail, but that’s part of Democrats’ strategy to put Republicans on defense over the hot-button issue while also attempting to keep voters fired up about it in order to defend their narrow 51-49 majority.
Last year, the Senate failed to pass legislation to protect abortion access nationwide when Republicans and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) blocked an effort to enshrine the precedent of Roe v. Wade into federal law.
“Republicans blocked many of these same bills last year,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who is leading the effort, said during a press conference on Wednesday. “But they should pay attention because Americans are speaking out now, loud and clear. Last November, in every single place abortion rights were on the ballot, abortion rights won.”
Senate Democrats are attempting to bring the four bills to the floor, which focus on guaranteeing women can travel freely across state lines for medical care, including abortions, protecting medical professionals for providing abortions, ensuring access to birth control and contraception, and increasing data privacy for health and location online.
“This means getting serious about the role that the social media companies and data brokers play in making our personal health data exposed,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a sponsor of new legislation that would prevent companies from profiting from the sale of personally identifiable health data for advertising purposes, said. “The legislation simply says women making their most personal healthcare decisions should be able to go to their doctor’s appointments and consult specialists without worrying about their data being purchased or sold.”
Many experts speculate the backlash to the highly contentious Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade last summer contributed to a disappointing cycle for Republicans and shattered their chances of retaking the Senate in the midterm elections.
Since then, 14 states have passed almost complete bans on abortion. Eight states have passed bans that have been temporarily blocked in court. Democrats are already signaling abortion will likely be a centerpiece of their reelection messaging, highlighting what they’ve done to protect access to abortion and recent polling that has shown a record number of people say they support at least some access to the procedure.
National Democrats also are attempting to build on the way the issue galvanized voters. The Democratic National Committee is launching a six-figure ad campaign highlighting the importance of abortion in the 2024 presidential election.
The DNC will begin airing ads in several battleground states this week to highlight how the election may determine the future of abortion access, hoping to paint Democrats as the party fighting to keep abortion legal nationwide. The ads highlight Republican stances on abortion bans nationwide, specifically targeting former President Donald Trump and his supporters, referred to as “MAGA Republicans.”
“I think this is an issue that we are going to stand up and fight for, but it isn’t just us. We are also reflecting what women and men in this country are fighting for,” Murray said. “I think women and men are going to rise up and say, 'Not in the United States of America. We are fighting back.'”
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The White House is also focusing on abortion this week as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris plan to attend an event with the DNC and three pro-abortion groups on Friday. First lady Jill Biden also plans to host a roundtable at the White House with women who had difficulty receiving medical care in the year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. At the end of the week, Harris will host a major speech on Saturday about the decision in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The first major clash this Congress over abortion occurred earlier this year when Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) placed a hold on confirming more than 250 military promotions in response to a new Pentagon policy that allows for time off and travel expenses for service members if they have to cross state lines to access abortion.