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U.S. House passes bills on abortion access, Senate approval unlikely
Updated 10:20, 16-Jul-2022
CGTN
Abortion rights demonstrators during an "Abortion is Freedom" rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 4, 2022. /CFP

Abortion rights demonstrators during an "Abortion is Freedom" rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 4, 2022. /CFP

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a pair of bills on Friday aimed at protecting access to abortion.

The bills cleared the Democratic-led chamber largely along party lines, but are expected to fail in the Senate.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the landmark Roe vs Wade ruling last month, eliminating the constitutional protection of abortion rights for women in the nation.

One of the bills prohibits punishment for a woman or child who decides to travel to another state to get an abortion. It passed 223-205.

Republicans spoke forcefully against the two bills, praising the Supreme Court's decision and warning that the legislation would go further than Roe ever did on legalizing abortion.

Urging her colleagues to vote no, Washington GOP Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers called abortion "the greatest human rights issue of our generation."

This is the second time the House has passed the bill, which would expand on the protections Roe had previously provided by banning what supporters say are medically unnecessary restrictions that block access to safe and accessible abortions.

Democrats have highlighted the case of a 10-year-old girl who had to cross state lines into Indiana to get an abortion after being raped, calling it an example of how the court's decision is already having severe consequences.

"We don't have to imagine why this might matter. We don't need to conjure up hypotheticals. We already know what's happened," Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar said Thursday on the Senate floor.

"Should the next little 10-year-old's right or 12-year-old's right or 14-year-old's right to get the care that she desperately needs be put in jeopardy?"

Abortion has been one of the most divisive issues in the United States, with the ruling further splitting the nation.

Without Roe vs Wade, states can impose their own legislation on the medical procedure.

More than a dozen states, where Republicans control the legislatures, have enacted restrictive abortion laws or will have such legislation take effect in the coming weeks.

(With input from agencies)

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