President Joe Biden said he would support suspending the Senate filibuster rule in order to codify the constitutional right to an abortion, as was established nearly half a century ago by the Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v Wade.
Biden said that he believes Roe v Wade must be codified and that the way to do this is to make sure Congress votes to solidify this right.
But the Senate is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans. Therefore, the GOP frequently uses the filibuster rule to stop the tiny Democratic majority from approving bills, and would certainly use it to block the approval of an abortion bill.
A filibuster is a political procedure in which members of congress prolong debate on proposed legislation in order to delay or entirely kill bills on the floor. A 60-seat majority is needed for most legislation to pass the Senate without being blocked by any single senator.
Biden said that if the filibuster gets in the way, there should be an exception. “We require an exception of the filibuster for this action,” he said.
Biden also tweeted his support to codify Roe into law, and that if the filibuster gets in the way, an exception should be provided in order to deal with the Supreme Court decision.
Last week, the conservative Supreme Court overturned 50 years of legal precedent by reversing its original opinion that women have a constitutional right to an abortion. Since then, chaos has ensued.
The court’s ruling has been condemned widely across America, as well as across the world. Most Americans support the right to an abortion. And most people around the world see this as America backsliding into darker ages with less freedom.
The Supreme Court is stacked with conservatives known for being anti-abortion. Now that they have taken away women’s rights to choose, states have been handed the power to pass their own laws without worrying about breaking the Roe law.
Biden is set to meet with state governors tomorrow to discuss options until the Democrats in Congress cement their response. Biden is under a lot of pressure to take executive action to protect abortion rights. He has very few options but has promised he will do whatever he can in his abilities to protect the right.
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