Joe Manchin Votes to Block Debate on Senate Abortion Bill
Senator Joe Manchin (D-Convenience) apparently thought everybody was distracted by the events in Ukraine, so he thought it was a ripe opportunity to sell out not only his putative political party, but also the privacy rights of 51 percent of the American population. What is the point of Joe Manchin, anyway? From the Washington Post:
The Women’s Health Protection Act, which was introduced in 2013, would enshrine the right to abortion in federal law, while blocking many of the abortion restrictions that have passed in several states. The House passed the bill last September, largely along party lines. The bill would eliminate a list of what proponents describe as “medically unnecessary” antiabortion restrictions, including mandatory waiting periods, antiabortion counseling, telemedicine bans and various regulations on the layout, structure and staffing policies at abortion clinics, which have forced many clinics to shutter.
This, of course, was set up in reaction to the surge in anti-choice legislation out in the states, but it also gained increased urgency as the realization set in that the Supreme Court likely will gut Roe v. Wade later this year. The House passed the WHPA last fall. At which point it moved into the Senate, where, as we know, almost nothing moves at all. Enter Joe Manchin, forever ready for his close-up.
The measure, introduced by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), was co-sponsored by all but two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Robert P. Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania, who are both opposed to abortion. “This vote will be a rallying cry in November,” said Blumenthal at a news conference before the vote. “This vote is going to awaken a lot of people, men and women, who grew up taking reproductive rights for granted.”
Maybe so. But Joe Manchin won’t care. Remember, he voted on Monday not against the WHPA, but rather, against the idea of debating the bill at all. No matter how fervently anti-choice you are, there is no coherent moral position in refusing to debate the issue. (This is exactly the fight waged for eight years by Rep. John Quincy Adams against the congressional “gag rule,” by which the House would automatically table any petitions regarding slavery.) It also renders false all the arguments against the filibuster based on the Senate’s alleged right to virtually unlimited debate. If you vote against debate, it can be fairly said, you are voting to limit debate. And there is no point any longer to Joe Manchin. None at all.
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