- Democrats aim to put Republicans on the record with their opposition to abortion rights.
- The Senate will hold a vote on a bill that aims to codify Roe v. Wade into law.
- Democrats hope GOP opposition to abortion rights will boost their chances in the midterms.
In the wake of a leaked draft opinion that suggests the Supreme Court could toss out Roe v. Wade, Democrats have seized on abortion rights to boost their chances in the 2022 midterms.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, is teeing up a procedural vote on Wednesday that would, as he's put it, force every senator to tell the American people their position on abortion rights.
The bill, known as the Women's Health Protection Act, aims to protect abortion rights by codifying Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, into federal law.
The legislation is almost guaranteed to fail because Democrats do not have enough support for it among their ranks. Senate Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who are oppposs abortion rights, previously voted against the bill in February. They're likely to vote the same way this time around, which means the Senate wouldn't meet the 60-vote threshhold to advance the bill. Manchin and Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema also remain opposed to eliminating the filibuster.
Still, Democrats are moving ahead with the largely symbolic vote to put Republicans on the record, hoping their opposition to abortion rights will galvanize voters to flock to the polls in droves for the midterm elections in November.
"Republicans will have two choices. They can own the destruction of women's rights, or they can reverse course and work to prevent the damage. Count me as skeptical that they'll do the latter," Schumer said during a press conference announcing the vote last week.
"This is not an abstract exercise. It's as real, it's as urgent as it gets," he added. "All of America will be watching. Republicans will not be able to hide from the American people and cannot hide from their role in bringing Roe to an end."
—Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) May 5, 2022
After the leaked opinion, Democratic leaders, including President Joe Biden, urged voters to elect candidates that are in favor of abortion rights, trying to fuel momentum around the issue.
"At the federal level, we will need more pro-choice Senators and a pro-choice majority in the House to adopt legislation that codifies Roe, which I will work to pass and sign into law," Biden said in a statement last week.
The new messaging strategy comes as Democrats are already facing an uphill battle to retain control of the House and Senate this November, given voters' concerns about inflation and the economy and Biden's low public approval ratings. The cards are also stacked against the Democrats, as historically the current party in power tends to lose ground in the midterms.
A majority of Americans support Roe v. Wade and don't want to see abortion become illegal, according to public opinion polling. Yet it's unclear whether the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe will spur Democratic voters into action. Before the leaked draft opinion, voter enthusiasm among Democrats lagged behind Republicans ahead of the midterms.