多数党领袖查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)周四宣布，参议院将于下周进行程序性投票，开始就堕胎权利进行辩论。
在一份意见草案泄露后，民主党人承诺在这个问题上迅速采取行动表明最高法院可以推翻罗伊诉韦德案这是美国堕胎合法化的里程碑式的决定。该草案不是最终裁决，尽管法院确认了其真实性。
“我打算在周一就这项重要的立法提交结论，并将在周三进行投票，”纽约民主党参议员舒默在参议院发言时说。
任何在全国范围内保护堕胎权利的努力都可能在50-50分裂的众议院面临一场艰苦的斗争，民主党人没有足够的60票来克服预期的阻挠。
该党已经在《妇女健康和保护法》中遇到了这个问题。该法案于2021年9月在众议院获得通过，但在参议院，舒默在2月份试图开始就该法案进行辩论时，甚至未能让整个民主党核心小组都参与进来。
这项立法将编纂交战规则，同时也禁止一些州实施的与堕胎护理有关的要求，如等待期和手术前强制性的医生探视。
共和党人对《妇女健康和保护法案》的范围提出了质疑，促使民主党人起草了一份修改版。康涅狄格州民主党参议员理查德·布卢门撒尔(Richard Blumenthal)改变了该法案的一些措辞，但这可能仍不足以动摇共和党成员。
缅因州共和党参议员苏珊·科林斯告诉ABC新闻的特里什·特纳，她将对该提案投反对票。
“我的目标是编纂本质上是现存的法律，”柯林斯说。“这意味着罗伊诉韦德案，这意味着凯西诉计划生育案，该案确立了不适当的负担测试，这意味着保持“良心”保护，而这种保护似乎被民主党的版本抹去了。所以，我不想超越现行法律，而是将最高法院的判决整理成文。"
柯林斯是民主党在任何潜在法案上获得共和党投票的最佳机会之一。她和阿拉斯加州参议员莉萨·穆尔科斯基是唯一支持堕胎权利的参议院共和党人人。
柯林斯和穆尔科斯基有他们自己的编纂Roe的建议。他们的法案——被称为生殖选择法案——将禁止各州对妇女选择提前终止妊娠的能力施加“不适当的负担”,但也允许各州保留其他限制。
莎拉·西尔比格/路透社
参议员克里斯汀·吉利布兰德在与Dem的新闻发布会上谈论堕胎权
参议院民主党人周四下午举行了新闻发布会，讨论下周的投票。
“这是一个生死攸关的时刻，我们需要战斗，”纽约州民主党参议员柯尔斯顿·吉利布兰德(Kirsten Gillibrand)告诉记者。
舒默说，下周的投票旨在记录立法者对堕胎权利的确切立场。
“你会从我们这里听到很多，”舒默说。“这不仅仅是一次投票，然后这个问题就不了了之。从下个月一直到11月，你都会听到我们的很多消息。”
Senate Democrats tee up likely doomed vote on protecting nationwide abortion access
The Senate will take a procedural vote to start debate on codifying abortion rights next week, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Thursday.
Democrats have pledged to take swift action on the issue after a leaked draft opinionshowed the Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision legalizing abortion in the U.S. The draft is not the final ruling, though the court confirmed its authenticity.
"I intend to file cloture on this vital legislation on Monday which will set up a vote for Wednesday," Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor.
Any effort to protect abortion access nationwide is likely to face an uphill battle in the 50-50 divided chamber, where Democrats don't have the 60 votes needed to overcome an expected filibuster.
The party has already experienced this problem with the Women's Health and Protection Act. The bill cleared the House of Representatives in September 2021, but in the Senate Schumer failed to get even the entire Democratic caucus on board when he tried to start debate on the bill back in February.
The legislation would codify Roe while also banning requirements some states have put into place related to abortion care, such as waiting periods and mandatory doctor's visits before the procedure.
Republicans have taken issue with how broad the Women's Health and Protection Act is, prompting Democrats to draft a modified version. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., changed some of the bill's language but it still may not be enough to sway the GOP members.
GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine told ABC News' Trish Turner that she would vote "no" on the proposal.
"My goal is to codify what is essentially existing law," Collins said. "That means Roe v. Wade, it means Casey v. Planned Parenthood, which established the undue burden test, and it means keeping the "conscience" protections which appear to be wiped out by the Democrats' version. So, I'm not trying to go beyond current law or, but rather to codify those Supreme Court decisions."
Collins is one of the Democratic Party's best chances of gaining a Republican vote on any potential bill. She and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska are the sole Senate Republicans who support abortion rights.
Collins and Murkowski have their own proposal to codify Roe. Their bill -- dubbed the Reproductive Choice Act -- would prohibit states from imposing an "undue burden" on the ability of a woman to choose to terminate a pregnancy pre-viability but also allows states to keep other restrictions in place.
Senate Democrats held a news conference on Thursday afternoon to discuss next week's vote.
"This is a life or death moment and we need to fight," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told reporters.
Schumer said next week's vote is intended to put on the record exactly where lawmakers stand on abortion rights.
"You will hear plenty from us," Schumer said. "This is not just one vote and then this issue goes away. You will hear a lot from us through the next month all the way through November."
