Pelosi says House will vote on abortion access bill in response to Supreme Court decision on Texas law
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WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced Thursday the House of Representatives will vote later this month on a bill that would protect the right to abortion across the country.
Her announcement comes after a divided Supreme Court late Wednesday denied an effort by abortion rights groups to halt a new Texas law that bans people from having the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy.
The court declined to block enforcement of the law, the most restrictive in the nation, over the objection of three liberal associate justices and Chief Justice John Roberts.
The Texas law, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May, bans abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur at six weeks. The law doesn't include exceptions for rape or incest but allows people to have the procedure for "medical emergencies."
More: Supreme Court declines to block Texas abortion law that bans procedure at six weeks
The House will vote on the bill when the chamber returns from its summer recess later this month, the speaker said.
“Upon our return, the House will bring up Congresswoman Judy Chu’s Women’s Health Protection Act to enshrine into law reproductive health care for all women across America," Pelosi said in a statement. “The Supreme Court’s cowardly, dark-of-night decision to uphold a flagrantly unconstitutional assault on women’s rights and health is staggering."
The Women’s Health Protection Act would guarantee a pregnant person's right to access an abortion, along with providers being able to perform abortions. It would codify into law protections provided under the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion across the country in 1973. Chu's bill would do this by establishing a statutory right to perform or receive the procedure, free from restrictions that single out abortion care.
Chu told USA TODAY her bill would nullify restrictive abortion laws.
"Instead, the federal law would take precedent and she would be protected."
More: Some Texas residents are stockpiling contraceptives and pregnancy tests after abortion ban
More: Texas abortion ban one of dozens intended to challenge Roe v. Wade
Should the bill clear the House with its small Democratic majority, the bill's future would be uncertain in the 50-50 Senate. It would need at least 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, which would require the support of at least 10 Republicans.
If allowed to remain in force, the Texas law would be the most dramatic restriction on abortion rights in the United States since Roe v. Wade. Citing Roe, federal courts have shot down similar bans in other conservative states for years.
Chu called the bill "an invasion of privacy and an invasion of American freedom," citing the part of the Texas law that allows private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone involved in "aiding and abetting" abortions, including someone driving a person to an abortion clinic.
A successful plaintiff could be entitled to at least $10,000 in damages, according to the law.
More: What to know about Texas abortion law that bans the procedure once heartbeat is detected
"This law is more radical than just dictating the choices women can make by deputizing private citizens to go after a woman who is exercising her constitutional right. It is outright harassing women. And that is outrageous," Chu said.
On social media Thursday, Democrats railed against the ruling while Republicans were largely silent.
Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, said "SCOTUS failed to protect women by allowing Texas’ draconian abortion ban at six weeks – before most women even know they’re pregnant – to take effect. Access to safe abortion is a constitutional right and we will fight to defend it."
In a statement to USA TODAY, Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, said "Last night was a sign of relief for everyone who values the lives of the unborn. Texas now has the strongest protections in America for babies still in the womb, and I have never been more proud to call it home."
Contributing: John Fritze
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pelosi: House to vote on abortion bill after Supreme Court decision
