Lower House votes to restore access to abortion throughout the United States

The US House of Representatives voted on Friday to restore abortion rights at the federal level, making it the first legislative initiative by Democrats. Following the landmark decision of the Supreme Court overturning the Roe v. Wade ruling.

“It is outrageous that 50 years later, we women must once again fight for our most basic rights against an extremist court,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a speech minutes after the vote.

The proposal passed by a vote of 219 in favor and 210 against, but it has little chance of becoming law, because it does not have the necessary support in the Senate, which is split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris, as president of the Upper House, a tie-breaking vote.

“That is why today, our pro-choice, pro-women Democratic majority stands strong. We will take more action to defend women’s reproductive freedom,” Pelosi said.

On the Republican side there were strong responses against the approval and legislators praised the decision of the Supreme Court and warned that the law will go beyond what Roe Vs Wade did with respect to legalizing abortion.

Washington Republican Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers called abortion “the biggest human rights issue of our generation.”

The Lower House insists on protecting those who travel

The House also voted on a separate bill that prohibits punishment from being imposed on a woman or minor who decides to travel to another state to have an abortion. The project passed by 223 votes in favor and 205 against.

The decision last June of the United States Supreme Court, which in practice restricts the right to abortion, caused angry protests throughout the country, but this week the controversy took heat again after the case of a 10-year-old girl who was raped in ohio and traveled to Indianapolis to have an abortion.

The state of Ohio, governed by a Republican, has placed severe restrictions on abortion care clinics.

The mother of the minor reported the incident to the Franklin County Children’s Services office, in that state, on June 22 last. The suspect has been arrested, although in a first oral hearing he did not assume the charges.

_{* Some of the information for this report came from the AP and Reuters agencies.}

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