February 16, 2023

Senators Introduce Bill to Legalize Abortion Nationwide

Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) to introduce the "Reproductive Freedom for All Act." This bill would create a federal right to abortion.

“Congress must restore women’s rights to make personal health care decisions,” Kaine said in a press release. “In the wake of the Dobbs decision, we have seen just how necessary Roe v. Wade was, which is why I’ve worked with my colleagues to find common ground on this bipartisan compromise that would restore Roe’s protections. The Reproductive Freedom For All Act is much-needed legislation to protect a woman’s freedom to choose.”

Collins and Murkowski previously voted against the pro-abortion Women's Health Protection Act (WHPA) because the bill went much further than codifying Roe v. Wade. The WHPA would have prevented states from enforcing any limits on abortion whatsoever. Even further, it would have prevented states from restricting government funding of abortion.

Instead, the Reproductive Freedom for All Act would ban abortion restrictions before viability. While less harsh than the WHPA, the Roe standard still denied millions of unborn children the basic human right to life.