Senate Rejects Bill Creating Federal Right to Abortion

On March 1, the US Senate brought the Women's Health Protection Act to a cloture vote. This bill would have created a federal right to abortion on demand during all stages of pregnancy and ended virtually all pro-life state laws. The motion failed by a vote of 48 (opposed) to 46 (in favor).

47 Republican Senators were joined by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin voting against the bill.

To overcome a filibuster, the cloture vote would have required a total of 60 votes. This means that pro-abortion lawmakers were 14 votes short of the majority they needed to move forward with this bill.

Illinois Senators Dick Durbin (D) and Tammy Duckworth (D) were among the 46 Democrat Senators who voted in favor of the legislation.

The House of Representatives voted 218-211 last September to approve the Women's Health Protection Act, and President Biden has signaled that he would sign the bill. Without a cloture vote in the Senate, however, the bill cannot move forward.

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