A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation that would codify federal abortion protections, prohibiting states from banning abortions before fetal viability.
The legislation, called the Reproductive Freedom For All Act, was introduced by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Ark.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Monday.
According to an overview of the legislation on Murkowski’s website, the act would create a federal law with the same basic tenets of the recently overturned Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade providing protection to abortion access nationwide.
The press release states that the “Reproductive Freedom For All Act” would “prohibit state regulations that impose an undue burden on a woman’s access to pre-viability abortions, while allowing states to enact reasonable restrictions on post-viability abortions.”
“This would undo the damage of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and would enshrine in federal law the fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” the press release stated.
Several of the senators supporting the bill issued statements that were published on Murkowski’s website. Included was Kaine’s statement: “After the Supreme Court gutted a woman’s right to make personal health care decisions, Congress must restore that right.”
“That’s why I’ve worked with my colleagues to find common ground on this bipartisan compromise that would do just that. The Reproductive Freedom For All Act would restore the right to abortion and protect access to contraception by enshrining those freedoms into federal legislation,” the Virginia Democrat said.
Sinema also spoke about the legislation saying, “A woman’s health care decisions should be between her, her family, and her doctor.
“Our bipartisan, commonsense legislation protects the health and wellbeing of women in Arizona and across the country by ensuring all women – no matter where they live – can access the health care they need and have the ability to make their own decisions about their futures,” Sinema said.
In her statement, Collins said:
“The Supreme Court’s recent abandonment of longstanding precedent erodes the reproductive rights on which women have relied for half a century. These basic rights need to be the same for American women regardless of the state in which they reside. Our bill would restore the right to obtain an abortion by enacting in federal law Roe v. Wade and other seminal Supreme Court decisions pertaining to reproductive freedom. In addition, our bill would protect access to contraception.”
“By reinstating — neither expanding nor restricting — the longstanding legal framework for reproductive rights in this country, our bill would preserve abortion access along with basic conscience protections that are relied upon by health care providers who have religious objections,” Collins added.
The press release claimed that the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health was a decision that went against the will of the American people.
The release cites several other Supreme Court cases, including Griswold v. Connecticut, Eisenstadt v. Baird, and Carey v. Population Services International, which the lawmakers believe their legislation would “enact the core holdings of.”
Per The Washington Post, the legislation is thought unlikely to pass in the Senate due to a lack of support by Republicans.
