US Vice President Kamala Harris has reminded Americans that the majority of the population are supportive of abortion rights, as the Senate failed to pass an act that would codify the right to abortion.
“I just presided over the Women’s Health Protection Act. And sadly the United States Senate did not vote where the majority of Americans are,” Harris said in a video posted to social media.
“Which is the majority of Americans believe in a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body.”
Harris noted that the Senate had the opportunity to defend the rights of women, but chose not to. She pressed Americans to vote for pro-choice candidates at all levels of government.
“But let’s be clear, the fight is not over, and clearly, we also know that we need to elect pro-choice leaders from the local to the federal level, who will defend and uphold a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body.”
The Women’s Health Protection Act would have effectively codified the right to abortion at the federal level, but it failed to pass the senate. This was not unexpected, and it was considered more of protest symbol from the Democrats.
All Republicans in the senate voted against the bill, with all Democrats (except for Joe Manchin) voting for it.
Kamala Harris chose to preside over the vote, a symbol of her commitment to the issue.
More than two dozen Democrats from the House of Representatives marched to the Senate before the vote, chanting: “My body, my decision”.
This comes after a draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade – the 1973 landmark ruling that legalised abortion nationwide – was leaked to the media last week. If this decision is finalised by the court, which is likely, states across America would be able to introduce their own policies on abortion.
It has been reported that at least 26 states would criminalise abortion if Roe v Wade was overturned, severely threatening women’s reproductive rights across the United States.
Just after the Women’s Health Protection Act failed in the Senate, President Joe Biden released a statement, that saying Senate Republicans have chosen to stand in the way of Americans’ rights to make “the most personal decisions about their own bodies, families and lives”.
“To protect the right to choose, voters need to elect more pro-choice senators this November, and return a pro-choice majority to the House. If they do, Congress can pass this bill in January, and put it on my desk, so I can sign it into law.”