<p>Democrats tried and failed Wednesday to push forward legislation to guarantee abortion rights nationwide, as Republicans and one Democrat in the Senate blocked an effort to enshrine the landmark Roe v. Wade precedent in federal law.</p>.<p>With 51 senators opposed and 49 in support, Democrats fell short of the 60 votes they would have needed to take up legislation to ensure abortion access and explicitly bar a wide array of restrictions.</p>.<p>The action came after a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion thrust the issue into the spotlight, suggesting that the court may be on the brink of overturning the nearly 50-year-old ruling that legalised abortion, and leaving states to decide whether women would have the right to terminate their pregnancies.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/abortion-rights-protesters-rally-in-cities-around-us-1107401.html" target="_blank">Abortion rights protesters rally in cities around US</a></strong></p>.<p>Republicans, who unanimously opposed the measure, were joined by one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Manchin, who opposes abortion rights, said the legislation was overly broad, noting that it would go substantially further than simply codifying Roe.</p>.<p>Democrats who supported the bill framed it as a call to action, before midterm elections, for voters who support abortion rights to elect like-minded candidates who will preserve them.</p>.<p>Republicans, wary of a backlash by voters who might be alienated by their opposition to abortion rights, sought to portray Democrats as extremists, noting the expansive nature of their bill and saying it went far beyond what most Americans wanted.</p>.<p>“Today, Democrats have decided to line up behind an extreme and radical abortion policy,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader. The legislation, he said, “goes way, way beyond codifying the status quo; it would roll back many existing laws.”</p>.<p>Democrats were making a bet that they had public opinion on their side. Recent polls show that most Americans oppose overturning Roe v. Wade. A Pew Research Center survey in March found that 61 per cent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or in most cases; 37 per cent say the opposite.</p>.<p>After the vote, President Joe Biden criticised Republicans, saying in a statement that their opposition to abortion rights “runs counter to the will of the majority of the American people.”</p>.<p>Biden urged voters to elect more senators who support the legislation.</p>.<p>“If they do,” he said, “Congress can pass this bill in January and put it on my desk, so I can sign it into law.”</p>.<p>This article originally appeared in<em> The New York Times.</em></p>
<p>Democrats tried and failed Wednesday to push forward legislation to guarantee abortion rights nationwide, as Republicans and one Democrat in the Senate blocked an effort to enshrine the landmark Roe v. Wade precedent in federal law.</p>.<p>With 51 senators opposed and 49 in support, Democrats fell short of the 60 votes they would have needed to take up legislation to ensure abortion access and explicitly bar a wide array of restrictions.</p>.<p>The action came after a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion thrust the issue into the spotlight, suggesting that the court may be on the brink of overturning the nearly 50-year-old ruling that legalised abortion, and leaving states to decide whether women would have the right to terminate their pregnancies.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/abortion-rights-protesters-rally-in-cities-around-us-1107401.html" target="_blank">Abortion rights protesters rally in cities around US</a></strong></p>.<p>Republicans, who unanimously opposed the measure, were joined by one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Manchin, who opposes abortion rights, said the legislation was overly broad, noting that it would go substantially further than simply codifying Roe.</p>.<p>Democrats who supported the bill framed it as a call to action, before midterm elections, for voters who support abortion rights to elect like-minded candidates who will preserve them.</p>.<p>Republicans, wary of a backlash by voters who might be alienated by their opposition to abortion rights, sought to portray Democrats as extremists, noting the expansive nature of their bill and saying it went far beyond what most Americans wanted.</p>.<p>“Today, Democrats have decided to line up behind an extreme and radical abortion policy,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader. The legislation, he said, “goes way, way beyond codifying the status quo; it would roll back many existing laws.”</p>.<p>Democrats were making a bet that they had public opinion on their side. Recent polls show that most Americans oppose overturning Roe v. Wade. A Pew Research Center survey in March found that 61 per cent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or in most cases; 37 per cent say the opposite.</p>.<p>After the vote, President Joe Biden criticised Republicans, saying in a statement that their opposition to abortion rights “runs counter to the will of the majority of the American people.”</p>.<p>Biden urged voters to elect more senators who support the legislation.</p>.<p>“If they do,” he said, “Congress can pass this bill in January and put it on my desk, so I can sign it into law.”</p>.<p>This article originally appeared in<em> The New York Times.</em></p>