WASHINGTON — As expected, the Reproductive Freedom for Women Act, a nonbinding messaging bill that expressed support for women’s reproductive freedom and the protection of access to reproductive health care, failed to pass the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, felled by a 49-44 vote that found near unanimity among Republican members.
Before and after the vote, Hawaii’s two senators expressed distress at the state of abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision and frustration with their Republican colleagues.
The bill, among the most concise the chamber will consider this session, stated simply, “It is the sense of Congress that: (1) protections for access to abortion rights and other reproductive health care after the Dobbs v. Jackson, 597 U.S. 215 (2022) decision on June 24, 2022, should be supported; and (2) the protections enshrined in Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) should be restored and built upon, moving towards a future where there is reproductive freedom for all.”
The measure was introduced last month by 40 Democratic senators in response to an increase in de facto abortion bans or heightened restrictions by Republican-led states. In the end, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to vote in favor of the bill.
“We often refer to the states as ‘laboratories of democracy,’” said Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, in remarks on the Senate floor prior to the vote. “Sadly, these laboratories are now experimenting on women — with dystopian results. This hellish experimentation has resulted in devastating consequences for millions of women and families across the country, who are now subject to state-imposed abortion bans.”
Republicans dismissed the vote as an attempt by Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer to put them in the uncomfortable position of having to cast votes in opposition to prevailing public opinion on abortion-related topics, a tactic they say does not diminish their conviction. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., has repeated referred to the string of recent, similarly predictable votes on abortion- and border-related topics as “Schumer’s summer of show votes.”
Hirono and her Democratic colleagues, however, said Republicans need to acknowledge the real-life consequences of legislative actions that restrict access to abortion.
“Let’s be clear — abortion bans aren’t about protecting anyone; they’re about the Right’s obsession with power and control, plain and simple,” Hirono said. “Time after time, Republicans have come to this floor insisting that they support women’s health, only to turn around and vote against bill after bill that would do just that. Despite their rhetoric, they voted en masse against the right to contraception, the right to IVF, and have consistently blocked any effort in this chamber to protect women’s fundamental rights. But still, my Republican colleagues insist they stand with women.”
Following the vote, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, released a statement further criticizing Republicans and urging more affirmative protections for abortion rights.
“It’s absurd that Republicans couldn’t bring themselves to even express support for protecting access to reproductive care for women across America,” Schatz said. “Time and again, at every turn, Republicans have chosen to decimate reproductive freedoms and control women’s bodies. Today’s failure to pass this very simple bill is yet more proof that we need to codify Roe for good as soon as we can.”
Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.