围绕堕胎权的斗争的关键一周——活动人士称之为“一代人的斗争”——于周一在美国参议院拉开帷幕，民主党人准备强行投票，寻求将堕胎权纳入联邦法律，此前上周的爆炸性消息显示，最高法院的保守派多数派准备推翻罗伊诉韦德案。

参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)周一提交了一项动议，要求就《妇女健康保护法》(Women's Health Protection Act)展开辩论，并于周三对该法案进行唱名表决，但如果没有60票来克服参议院的阻挠，这项立法将会失败，就像2月份的一个类似版本一样。共和党人一致反对该法案，也反对降低门槛以打破参议院的阻挠。

舒默说，尽管投票在很大程度上是象征性的，但它将迫使每一位参议员，无论是民主党还是共和党，公开表明他们在这个问题上的立场。

罗恩·阿达/舒特斯托克

参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默参议员与女性代表站在一起

“我要求我的同事在本周晚些时候仔细考虑他们的选择。不再逃跑，不再躲藏。投票将照亮我们每一个人，”他周一下午在参议院发言时说。

在周三的投票之前，更多的民主党人也对参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔的说法表示愤慨今日美国在周六发表的一篇采访中，如果共和党控制了国会，他们可能会在全国范围内禁止堕胎，两党的活动人士可能会在中期选举季节将此作为一个战斗口号。

“如果泄露的意见成为最终意见，立法机构-不仅在州一级，而且在联邦一级-肯定可以在这一领域立法，”麦康奈尔说当被问及全国堕胎禁令是否“值得讨论”时

“所以是的，这是可能的，”他补充道。

白宫新闻秘书珍·普萨基在周一的新闻发布会上说，当被问及政府是否认为美国可以在没有法院干预的情况下完全禁止堕胎时，普萨基说风险是“严重的”，并补充说白宫支持舒默让参议员“记录在案”的举动

舒默周一补充说:“麦康奈尔的评论非常清楚地表明，为什么这场游戏与各州的权利无关。目标一直是在全国范围内完全禁止堕胎。"

阿肯色州共和党州长阿萨·哈钦森是2024年的潜在总统候选人，指出美国广播公司“本周”的联合主持人玛莎·拉达茨周日表示，全国禁止堕胎将与共和党长期以来的主张“不一致”，即堕胎的权力应归还给各州。

全国州长协会主席哈钦森回答说:“如果你看看宪法或国家标准，那就违背了各州拥有特权的主旨。”“其次，我认为有一些国家标准的宪法问题，以及宪法有什么权力来制定这一标准。”

随着民主党人抓住麦康奈尔的信息，新罕布什尔州民主党参议员玛吉·哈桑(Maggie Hassan)已经推出了一个数字广告，将她的共和党对手与她的竞选团队所说的“麦康奈尔十年来将堕胎合法化的运动”联系起来。

“最终，我认为这将推动许多人在今年11月参加投票，否则他们可能会留在家里，”康涅狄格州参议员克里斯·墨菲(Chris Murphy)说。说在“福克斯新闻频道周日”节目中“因为他们看到这场斗争不仅会在州立法机关爆发，也会在华盛顿爆发。”

最高法院令人震惊的泄密给民主党人提供了一个关注司法系统的机会，并认为如果共和党人重新控制参议院，拜登的司法选择将受到阻碍，但这也激发了堕胎权的反对者，他们已经等了近50年，等待法院推翻罗伊。

根据获得的意见草案，上周末，成千上万的人走上华盛顿街头，集会向法官中倾向保守的法官发出信息，他们似乎准备推翻1973年的里程碑式裁决政治。

这些示威者——有些聚集在布雷特·卡瓦诺(Brett Kavanaugh)大法官和首席大法官约翰·罗伯茨(John Roberts)的住宅外——是大多数美国人的一部分，他们认为罗伊诉韦德案应该得到支持，但在全国范围内，如果罗伊案被推翻，至少有26个州将禁止堕胎或严重限制堕胎。

“我们需要确保每一位选民都明白，共和党和米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)不相信他们的女儿、他们的母亲、他们的姐妹有权做出基本的生死决定，”纽约州民主党参议员柯尔斯顿·吉利布兰德(Kirsten Gillibrand)说，讲述CNN的“国情咨文”

虽然众议院已经投票通过将交战规则编纂成法，但议长南希·佩洛西在一封新的“亲爱的同事”信中指出信周一会有更多的措施出台。

“我们知道我们必须在未来的几周和几个月里继续这场战斗。我们自豪的支持堕胎权的众议院多数党必须在公共领域继续这场斗争，以便美国人民知道，他们的权利就在今年11月的选票上。

上周，安ABC新闻/华盛顿邮报民意调查发现，大多数美国人支持罗伊案，认为堕胎在所有或大多数情况下都应该是合法的，而且大部分人认为堕胎应该由妇女和她的医生决定，而不是由立法者决定。

Democrats ready vote to legalize abortion after McConnell says national ban 'possible'

A critical week in the battle over abortion rights -- what activists are calling the "fight of a generation" -- kicked off in the U.S. Senate on Monday, with Democrats preparing to force a vote seeking to enshrine abortion rights into federal law, following last week's bombshell leak showing the Supreme Court's conservative majority ready to overturn Roe versus Wade.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on Monday on a motion to start debate on the Women's Health Protection Act, setting up the bill for a roll call vote on Wednesday -- but without 60 votes needed to overcome the Senate filibuster, the legislation is poised to fail, as a similar version did in February. Republicans are united against both the bill and lowering the threshold to break the Senate filibuster.

Still, the vote, while largely symbolic, will force every single senator, Democrat and Republican, to go on the record on where they stand on the issue, Schumer said.

"I ask my colleagues to think carefully about their choice later this week. No more running, no more hiding. The vote will shine light on every single one of us," he said from the Senate floor on Monday afternoon.

Ahead of Wednesday's vote, more Democrats also expressed outrage over Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tellingUSA Todayin an interview published on Saturday that if Republicans take control of Congress, they could pursue a national ban on abortion -- which activists on both sides of the aisle will likely use as a rallying cry this midterm election season.

"If the leaked opinion became the final opinion, legislative bodies -- not only at the state level but at the federal level -- could certainly legislate in that area," McConnellsaid, asked if a national abortion ban was "worthy of debate."

"So yeah, it's possible," he added.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at Monday's press briefing, asked if the administration believes the U.S. could completely outlaw abortion without court intervention, Psaki said that the risk is "serious," adding the White House support Schumer's move to get senators "on the record."

"McConnell's comments make it perfectly clear why the game here is not about states' rights," Schumer added on Monday. "The goal has always been a national ban on abortions altogether."

Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a potential 2024 presidential candidate,pointed outto ABC's "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday that a national ban on abortion would be "inconsistent" with the long-standing Republican argument that the authority over abortion be returned to the states.

"If you look at a constitutional or a national standard, that goes against that thrust of the states having prerogative," replied Hutchinson, chair of the National Governors Association. "And secondly, I think there's some constitutional issues of a national standard as well as to what is the authority of the Constitution to enact that."

With Democrats seizing McConnell's message, Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., already launched a digital ad linking her GOP opponents to what her campaign calls "McConnell's decade-long crusade to criminalize abortion."

"Ultimately, I think this is going to push a lot of people to the polls this November, that may have otherwise stayed home," Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.,saidon "Fox News Sunday." "Because they see that this fight is coming not just in the state legislatures, but in Washington as well."

The stunning leak out of the Supreme Court has offered Democrats a chance to focus on the judiciary and argue that Biden's judicial choices will be obstructed if Republicans regain control of the Senate, but it has also energized opponents of abortion rights, who have been waiting nearly 50 years for the court to strike down Roe.

Over the weekend, thousands of people took to the streets in Washington, rallying to send a message to the conservative-leaning justices on the bench, who appear poised to overturn the 1973 landmark ruling, according to the draft opinion obtained byPolitico.

Those demonstrators -- some gathering outside of the homes of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts -- are part of the majority of Americans who believe Roe versus Wade should be upheld, but across the country, if Roe is overturned, at least 26 states would either ban abortion or severely restrict access to it.

"We need to make sure that every single voter understands that the Republican Party and Mitch McConnell does not believe that their daughters, that their mothers, that their sisters have rights to make fundamental life and death decisions," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.,toldCNN's "State of the Union."

While the House of Representatives had already voted to codify Roe, Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated in a new "Dear Colleague"letteron Monday that more measures would come.

"We know we must carry forward this fight in the weeks and months ahead. Our proud pro-choice House Majority must continue this fight in the public arena so that the American people know that their rights are on the ballot this November," she said.

undefinedMORE: With Supreme Court poised to reverse Roe, most Americans support abortion rights: POLL

Last week, anABC News/Washington Postpoll found a majority of Americans support upholding Roe, say abortion should be legal in all or most cases and -- by a wide margin -- see abortion as a decision to be made by a woman and her doctor, not by lawmakers.