The reaction of some Democrats to the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion overturning the abortion rights precedent set by 1973’s Roe v. Wade decision has been extraordinarily revealing, particularly so for the few remaining Democrats who claim to be “pro-life.”
A prime example is purportedly “pro-life” Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), who announced this week that he would vote in support of partisan legislation to codify abortion rights as federal law, TheBlaze reported.
His support for such legislation is decidedly at odds with his prior stance of support for protecting the unborn, limiting access to abortions, and yes, even overturning Roe v. Wade.
Will vote to codify abortion as federal law
In a Tuesday press release, Sen. Casey said, “This week, I will again vote yes to advance debate on the Women’s Health Protection Act and I will support the bill if there is a vote on final passage in the future.”
“In the nearly three months since the Senate last voted on the Women’s Health Protection Act, the circumstances around the entire debate on abortion have changed,” the senator continued in reference to a failed effort in March by Democrats to vote on the bill that was blocked by Republicans.
Casey added, “In light of the leaked Supreme Court decision draft overturning Roe v. Wade, and subsequent reports that Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate will introduce legislation to enact a nationwide six-week ban, the real question of the moment is: do you support a categorical ban on abortion? During my time in public office, I have never voted for — nor do I support — such a ban.”
Was previously opposed to abortion rights
Except, according to an “OnTheIssues” page for Sen. Casey and the topic of abortion, the senator’s current stance does not align with his previous stance, such as his expressed support in 2018 for a 20-week ban on abortion, with the usual exceptions.
Nor is it in line with his 2005 beliefs that Roe v. Wade should be overturned and that the “right to privacy” extended to contraception use but not to abortion, or the positions he staked out in 2004 in opposition to abortion rights, opposition to taxpayer-funded abortions, and support for legal protections for unborn babies from the moment of conception.
That is because the extreme legislation he now supports, the Democrat-pushed Women’s Health Protection Act, categorically undermines each and every one of those prior positions.
Extreme legislation blocked
According to ABC News, the Women’s Health Protection Act would serve to legislatively replace Roe v. Wade by enshrining abortion as a protected right at the federal level and, in the process, override and prohibit virtually all state-level restrictions on the procedures and requirements imposed on providers.
If passed into law, the Act would essentially allow for abortions at any point in a nine-month pregnancy and would almost certainly allow for taxpayer funds to be used to cover at least some abortions.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) brought the Women’s Health Protection Act to the floor for a vote Wednesday and, true to his most recent word, Sen. Casey voted in favor of it. Unfortunately for the Democrats, though, the measure fell well short of the 60 votes needed for advancement and was defeated by a vote of 49 to 51, with moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) joining all Republicans in opposition.
