The right of American women to have an abortion reaffirmed by a symbolic vote in Congress

The United States House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill guaranteeing the right of American women to have an abortion – a vote that is both historic and essentially symbolic, with the text having no chance of succeeding in the Senate.

The Women’s Health Protection Act received the support of 218 elected officials, all Democrats, while 210 Republicans and one Democrat voted against. This is the first time since the right to abortion was recognized in 1973 by the United States Supreme Court that one of the two chambers of Congress has attempted to enshrine it in federal law.

Until now, even in the Democratic ranks, there was strong reluctance to commit to this right that deeply divides Americans, but the situation has evolved on the left.

“Finally, we have a group of pro-choice Democrats in the majority in the House,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a press conference just before the debate. “And a president ready to sign,” she added, referring to Joe Biden’s support for the bill.

Expressing her “mixed feelings”, she said she was “happy” with this new situation and “sad to come to this because of a shameful decision of the Supreme Court”. The highest court in the country, profoundly overhauled by the former president Donald Trump, refused to prevent the entry into force, on September 1, of a law in Texas which prohibits almost all abortions in this vast state.

This decision, motivated by procedural issues, was seen as a precursor to the evolution of the Supreme Court which could soon reverse the judgment. Roe c. Wade issued 1973. If this happened, each state would have the right to decide whether or not to allow abortions.

The law passed in the House on Friday aims to avoid this scenario. “Health professionals have a right guaranteed by this law to provide abortion services and their patients an equivalent right to receive them, without limits or constraints”, specifies the text which is supposed to be binding on States. However, he risks stumbling over the still very clear opposition to the abortion of the Republicans, who have a blocking minority in the Senate.

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