WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The House on Friday passed an expansive abortion rights bill to protect and expand abortion access in all 50 states.
Democrats passed the historic legislation after they say the Supreme Court failed to stop a controversial anti-abortion bill in Texas.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., helped lead the charge. She called Friday a “historic day for women.”
“(The bill) will end the horrifying state level attacks on access,” Schakowsky said on the House floor.
She says the bill would be transformative for women and health care providers in Republican led states.
“Women are coming to the state of Illinois. All of the border states around us have limitations on access to abortion,” she said. “This is about freedom.”
The bill passed along party lines, with just one Democrat opposed.
Across the board, Republicans call the plan extreme.
Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., says the bill attacks states’ rights.
“It would nullify the laws the Missouri has put in place to protect women and protect unborn babies,” Hartzler said. “It would allow for abortions at any stage.”
“This isn’t about freedom for women it’s about death for babies,” Hartzler said on the House floor.
She and Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., say Democrats have gone too far.
“It ignores the reality that life is sacred,” Walberg said on the House floor.
The bill’s passage is largely symbolic. Senate Republicans have already vowed to block the measure.
But the issue isn’t going away. In December the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over a restrictive Mississippi abortion law.