The Los Angeles Post

House passes bills to protect abortion access

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The House on Friday passed two bills aimed at protecting access to abortion, marking the chamber’s first legislative attempts at safeguarding the procedure after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month.

The first bill — the Women’s Health Protection Act — passed in a 219-210 vote, clearing the House for a second time in the past year. The lower chamber previously approved the measure in September, but it was twice blocked in the Senate.

Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar was the only Democrat to vote against the bill, which all Republicans present opposed as well. He also opposed the measure when it was brought up for a vote in September.

The legislation seeks to ensure that people have access to abortion nationwide by codifying the right to the medical procedure into federal law.


Not going far in the Senate: The measure, however, will likely face headwinds in the Senate. Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) blocked the bill in the upper chamber in February and May when it was brought up for consideration.

  • The House passed the second bill — titled the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act — in a 223-205 vote. Three GOP lawmakers supported the measure: Reps. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) and Fred Upton (Mich.). Cuellar also voted in favor of the measure.
  • The legislation protects women who travel to another state to receive an abortion if their home state prohibits the medical procedure. And in states where abortion is lawful, the bill seeks to make it illegal for facilities to limit access to the medical procedure for individuals who arrived from out of state.