Shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, congressional Democrats announced their intentions to offer legislation federally enshrining the right to an abortion.
This past week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills that would extend abortion protections well beyond what was afforded in the now-defunct 1973 landmark case.
The “Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022” would federally recognize the right to terminate a pregnancy, while the “Ensuring Access to Abortion Act” would ensure women’s rights to travel across state lines to obtain an abortion.
Every member of Alabama’s congressional delegation, besides U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham), voted against the two pieces of legislation.
In a statement slamming the bills, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) lamented Democrats’ attempts to strip the right of states to regulate abortion within their borders, which was made possible due to the high court’s ruling last month on Dobbs. v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization outlining that no constitutional right to an abortion exists.
“[D]emocrats brought two extreme and inhumane bills to the floor that would legalize abortion up until the moment of birth across the country,” explained Moore. “These bills are meant to trample on the Dobbs decision, which affirmed that there is no constitutional right to abortion and sent the power to determine abortion laws back to the states.”
Moore called congressional Democrats’ efforts “barbaric” and stated his intentions to combat what he referred to as “life-killing policies.”
“Democrats’ unconstitutional and barbaric legislation demonstrates how radical the pro-abortion movement has become and would end thousands of innocent lives if signed into law,” added the congressman. “I will continue fighting to protect the unborn and standing against the extreme life-killing policies coming out of Washington. We must stop attacks on the sanctity of life at all costs.”
The bills now sit in the U.S. Senate, where they face uncertain fates due to a lack of consensus among Democrats to alter the chamber’s long-standing filibuster rules.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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