{"id":273538,"date":"2022-08-04T06:43:42","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T11:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=273538"},"modified":"2022-08-03T17:40:50","modified_gmt":"2022-08-03T22:40:50","slug":"lawmakers-bipartisan-codify-roe-federal-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/lawmakers-bipartisan-codify-roe-federal-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers introduce bipartisan bill to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

A group of senators has introduced legislation that would codify the ‘right to abortion’ into federal law. It is considered unlikely to pass, though its current bipartisan support may lure some fence-sitters to approve it.<\/p>\n

The legislation, called the Reproductive Freedom for All Act<\/a>, was co-authored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). It was specifically introduced in response to the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade<\/em>, according to a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the Supreme Court gutted a woman\u2019s right to make personal health care decisions, Congress must restore that right,\u201d Kaine said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019ve worked with my colleagues to find common ground on this bipartisan compromise that would do just that. The Reproductive Freedom For All Act would restore the right to abortion and protect access to contraception by enshrining those freedoms into federal legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA woman\u2019s health care decisions should be between her, her family, and her doctor,” Sinema added. “Our bipartisan, commonsense legislation protects the health and wellbeing of women in Arizona and across the country by ensuring all women \u2013 no matter where they live \u2013 can access the health care they need and have the ability to make their own decisions about their futures.”<\/p>\n

Murkowski and Collins previously refused to vote for the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), which would have not only codified Roe<\/em>, but Planned Parenthood v. Casey<\/em> as well, and was considered to be extreme by many. Though the bill would have allowed states to enact bans on abortion before viability, the WHPA was criticized for eliminating things like conscience protections, and would have allowed taxpayer-funded abortion. When they voted against it, Murkowski and Collins promised to introduce their own legislation to ensure abortion remains legal, and have now followed through on that promise.<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Republican Lisa Murkowski inaccurately defends Planned Parenthood\u2019s \u201cimportant service\u201d<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery American should have autonomy over their own health care decisions, and the Supreme Court\u2019s decision in Dobbs has made it imperative for Congress to restore women\u2019s reproductive rights,” Murkowski said. “I\u2019m proud to introduce bipartisan legislation with my colleagues to write into law the protections provided through Roe and Casey as well as affirming access to contraception provided in Griswold and other cases. For five decades, reproductive health care decisions were centered with the individual \u2013 we cannot go back in time in limiting personal freedoms for women.\u201d<\/p>\n

But abortion is unique among these so-called “personal freedoms for women,” because the act of induced abortion intentionally kills a human being prior to birth.<\/p>\n