Filibuster change for Roe protections/ Senate rules for abortion rights/ filibuster adjustment for reproductive rights/ Newslooks/ WISCONSIN/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Vice President Kamala Harris supports eliminating the filibuster to pass legislation restoring abortion rights after Roe’s fall. The current filibuster rules require 60 Senate votes, making it difficult to advance abortion legislation. Harris advocates for a 51-vote threshold, a stance shared by President Biden in specific cases like this.
Filibuster Reform for Abortion Rights: Quick Looks
- VP Kamala Harris backs reforming Senate filibuster rules to pass abortion rights legislation.
- The current 60-vote filibuster rule impedes passing major laws, including abortion protections.
- Harris aims to lower the threshold to 51 votes to reinstate Roe-era abortion rights.
- President Joe Biden also supports filibuster exceptions for restoring abortion protections.
- The Senate’s 50-50 split gives Harris a tie-breaking vote but not enough to overcome GOP opposition.
Harris Pushes Senate Reform to Restore Abortion Access
Deep Look:
Vice President Kamala Harris has publicly voiced her support for changing Senate rules, specifically the filibuster, to help pass a law that would reinstate abortion protections lost with the fall of Roe v. Wade. The decision to back filibuster reform is tied to Harris’s commitment to ensuring abortion rights, a crucial issue for many voters and Democratic lawmakers. The existing filibuster rules make it exceedingly difficult to pass major legislation, including bills that address reproductive rights.
In the U.S. Senate, the filibuster allows a senator to delay or block a vote on proposed legislation by refusing to yield the floor. To break the filibuster, 60 senators must vote in favor of ending the debate, which means that most major bills, including those focused on abortion rights, need 60 votes to pass. Currently, the Senate is split evenly, with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, and Vice President Harris holds the tie-breaking vote. However, because of the filibuster’s 60-vote threshold, Democratic lawmakers cannot advance abortion-related bills without some Republican support, which remains unlikely.
Speaking on Wisconsin Public Radio, Harris made her position clear, stating that she supports eliminating the filibuster specifically for passing legislation that would restore abortion protections. “What we need is to get to the point where 51 votes would be sufficient to put back into law the protections of Roe,” Harris said, referring to the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision that had legalized abortion nationwide before it was overturned in 2022.
Harris’s stance aligns with that of President Joe Biden, who has also advocated for a filibuster exception to pass laws reinstating abortion rights. However, both Biden and Harris stop short of calling for a complete abolition of the filibuster, emphasizing that the rule should remain in place for most legislative matters. They are primarily interested in creating a special exception for reproductive rights legislation, recognizing the urgency of the issue for millions of Americans affected by the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The political landscape around the filibuster and abortion rights has remained contentious since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. With Republican senators largely opposing abortion protections, the chances of passing such legislation under the current rules are slim. This is why Harris and Biden are pushing for targeted reform, which would reduce the vote threshold to 51 and potentially allow the restoration of nationwide abortion rights with a simple majority vote in the Senate.
While Harris’s support for filibuster reform is significant, it also highlights the broader struggle facing the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats as they work to respond to the Supreme Court’s ruling. Abortion rights have become a key issue in the lead-up to future elections, with Democratic leaders seeking ways to codify reproductive rights into federal law. For now, changing the filibuster appears to be one of the few viable paths to achieve that goal, as long as the party can maintain enough support within its ranks and potentially sway a few moderate Republicans.
Ultimately, Harris’s advocacy for filibuster reform represents an acknowledgment of the high stakes surrounding the fight for abortion rights. The push to change Senate rules is not just about passing a single law but about safeguarding access to abortion services for future generations. By focusing on a 51-vote threshold, Harris hopes to overcome the current political gridlock and deliver on a key promise to voters concerned about the erosion of reproductive rights in the United States.
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