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Press Releases Ben Sasse Chuck Morse Dave McCormick Josh Hawley Abortion Wednesday, May 11 2022

Senate Republicans Again Block Abortion Rights Bill

May 11, 2022

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In U.S. Senate races across the country, Republicans are far-out-of-step with voters on abortion and reproductive health care, pushing for hardline abortion bans, including at the federal level

With the Supreme Court’s Republican appointees poised to strike down Roe v. Wade and eliminate abortion rights, U.S. Senate Republicans today once again voted to block consideration of the Women’s Health Protection Act — a bill to codify abortion rights as constitutionally guaranteed under Roe’s near-50-year precedent.

Every Senate Republican voted to prevent debate on the bill, including Republicans whose seats are up in 2022: Ron Johnson, Marco Rubio, Chuck Grassley, Rob Portman, Richard Burr, Roy Blunt, Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, and Pat Toomey.

And 2024 Republican candidates, including Rick Scott, Ted Cruz, Tim Scott, Tom Cotton, Ben Sasse, and Josh Hawley, also voted to block the bill.

Last July, each of those GOP Senators urged the Supreme Court uphold Mississippi’s abortion ban and overturn Roe v. Wade — an outcome that is opposed by 69% of Americans.

While Portman, Burr, Blunt, and Toomey are retiring and not standing for reelection in 2022, the GOP candidates running to replace them likewise share their anti-abortion views. And, in many cases, have adopted even more hardline positions on abortion — with multiple 2022 U.S. Senate candidates calling for a “personhood” law or federal ban on abortion.

Here’s where 2022 Republican Senate candidates stand on overturning Roe v. Wade and backing hardline bans to outlaw abortion:

Arizona

  • Mark Brnovich has used his role as AG to promote his anti-abortion agenda and urge the Supreme Court to overturn Roe.
  • Jim Lamon says he opposes the Women’s Health Protection Act and praised the Republican SCOTUS appointees’ draft decision to overturn Roe as “a victory for human life.”
  • Blake Masters supports a federal abortion ban and says that Griswold v. Connecticut should be overturned, which would allow states to ban contraceptives.
  • Justin Olson supports a federal ban on abortions after six weeks, “​​before most women know they are pregnant.”

Colorado

  • Ron Hanks is currently pushing a bill to criminalize abortion in Colorado and “enforce homicide and assault provisions without regard to the opinion of the United States [S]upreme [C]ourt in Roe v. Wade and other supreme court decisions, past and future.”
  • Joe O’Dea has slammed Colorado’s legislative effort to codify abortion rights in a way that’s aligned with Roe v. Wade. On May 7, 2022, O’Dea argued that more abortion restriction are needed in Colorado.

Florida

  • Marco Rubio in July 2021 asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. Rubio supports outlawing abortion, and has said he “never” supported exceptions for victims of rape and incest exceptions.

Georgia

Missouri

  • Eric Schmitt signed Missouri onto a brief supporting Mississippi’s highly-restrictive abortion ban that has no exceptions for rape or incest. And he’s asked the Supreme Court to use Missouri’s abortion restriction as a test case t ooverturn Roe v. Wade.
  • Eric Greitens pushed abortion restrictions as governor and he has said Roe v. Wade should be “sent to the ash heap of history.”
  • Vicky Hartzler has said the Supreme Court should overturn Roe v. Wade.
  • Billy Long has said it’s time to “abort Roe v. Wade.”
  • Mark McCloskey endorsed a total ban outlawing all abortions, including for teen rape and incest victims.

North Carolina

  • Ted Budd in April 2022 confirmed he supports outlawing abortion without any exceptions — not even for rape or incest, or “in cases where a mother’s life could be at risk.” Prevously, Budd has praised the “creativity” of Alabama and Texas’ hardline abortion bans, and pledged to outlaw abortion “all the way back.” Budd in July 2021 asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, and he’s voted against codifying Roe’s protections. On May 3, 2022, Budd said of the draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe, “This could be […] great.”
  • Pat McCrory says he supports Roe being overturned. As governor, McCrory reneged on a promise to not restrict abortion rights.
  • Mark Walker as a U.S. House member sponsored legislation that anti-abortion groups praised because it would “end abortion” rights. He’s urged the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and praised Texas and Mississippi’s hardline abortion bans.

Nevada

New Hampshire

  • Don Bolduc has been clear he is “not for abortion” and supports Roe being overturned.
  • Bruce Fenton says he supports Roe being overturned and praised Granite State Republicans’ abortion ban law that mandates unnecessary ultrasounds and punishes health care providers.
  • Chuck Morse is a longtime opponent of abortion rights and says he opposes the Women’s Health Protection Act. Morse has supported defunding Planned Parenthood. And as state Senate President, Morse was part of the legislative leadership team that added a highly-restrictive abortion ban to New Hampshire’s most recent budget, requiring mandatory ultrasounds for all people seeking abortion health care and punishment for doctors who provide abortions. In early May, Morse said that he supports the Supreme Court overturning Roe and even bragged about his role as the “key architect” behind New Hampshire’s first abortion ban in over a century.
  • Kevin Smith opposes the Women’s Health Protection Act. Smith has plagiarized *verbatim* from the NRSC memo instructing 2022 Republicans to lie about (and downplay) their anti-abortion views, even as he, in a fundraising text message sent out by his campaign,  showed his true anti-abortion colors, cheering that Republicans “are SO close to ending abortion once and for all.” 

Ohio

  • JD Vance says that pregnancy due to rape is  “inconvenient,” but he nevertheless supports the government to forcing people to carry pregnancies to term, even in cases of rape and incest.  

Pennsylvania

  • At a recent debate, Kathy Barnette and “Every candidate said they support restricting abortion access, with only some — Bartos, Oz, and McCormick — saying they are in favor of exceptions in cases where a mother’s life is at risk.”
  • Mehmet Oz supports outlawing abortion and cheered the Supreme Court indicating, while indicating that he’d vote to ban abortion at the federal level if he’s elected.
  • David McCormick supports outlawing abortion and called the Supreme Court GOP appointees’ decision to overturn Roe “a huge victory.” 

Wisconsin

  • Ron Johnson in July 2021 asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. He’s praised the GOP SCOTUS appointees’ decision to overturn Roe as “a really good decision” and “the correct decision.” If Roe is overturned, as Johnson has urged and hoped, “almost all abortions” would be illegal in Wisconsin. Johnson confirmed that’s his view during a May 10, 2022 interview, arguing that there should be no abortions in Wisconsin and saying that the 6,000 that he says happen per year are “6,000 too many.”

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Published: May 11, 2022 | Last Modified: Feb 7, 2024

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