Joe Manchin, the Democratic Senator of West Virginia, has unveiled his plans to put his vote against his part’s new abortion bill, stating that it is such an overreach, though he stated he would put his support behind the codification of Roe v. Wade.
The Women’s Health Protection Act, which is a bill that was blocked in a vote held in February, looks like it is slated to once again fall short, with all 50 Republicans and Democrat Manchin opposing the proposal.
“We’re going to be voting for a piece of legislation that I will not be voting for today,” Manchin stated to the reporters.
“But I would vote for a Roe v. Wade codification if it was today. I was hopeful for that, but I found out yesterday in caucus that that wasn’t going to be,” he went on.
Manchin tells reporters he will vote against the Women’s Health Protection Act this afternoon pic.twitter.com/sOvTIjxDwl
— Alan He (@alanhe) May 11, 2022
Previously, Manchin held off on sharing his choice concerning the Wednesday vote, unveiling that he would most likely make his support choice for the proposal until at least Tuesday.
The other party member who was still uncertain about their choice heading into the Wednesday vote was self0named “pro-life” Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.
Casey then announced this past Tuesday that he would throw his support for the bill. He claimed to change his views based upon the changing circumstances related to the leak that recently struck Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s draft of a court opinion that seemed to indicate the possibility that the power to make abortion laws may be returning to the control of the individual states.
“This week, I will again vote yes to advance debate on the Women’s Health Protection Act and I will support the bill if there is a vote on final passage in the future,” stated Casey in a release.
“In the nearly three months since the Senate last voted on the Women’s Health Protection Act, the circumstances around the entire debate on abortion have changed. In light of the leaked Supreme Court decision draft overturning Roe v. Wade, and subsequent reports that Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate will introduce legislation to enact a nationwide six-week ban, the real question of the moment is: do you support a categorical ban on abortion? During my time in public office, I have never voted for—nor do I support—such a ban,” he continued.
It was vowed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that he would try to push at the Wednesday vote in order to make every senator go on record regarding the pro-abortion bill prior to the Supreme Court ruling.
“Come next week, Senate Republicans will have to answer for everything they’ve done over the years to embolden the hard right’s hostility against a woman’s choice,” stated Schumer in his Senate floor comments just last week. “They will not be able to hide from the American people and cannot hide their role in bringing Roe to an end. The vote will tell, next week. America will be watching.”
“All week we’ve been seeing Republicans try to duck, dodge and dip from their responsibility for bringing Roe to the brink of total repeal. That’s what they’ve been trying to do for decades,” he concluded. “Next week, the American people will see crystal clear that when given the chance to right this wrong, the Republican Party will either side with the extremists who want to ban abortion without exceptions, or side with women, with families and the vast majority of Americans.”