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The U.S. Senate failed to advance a bill that would preserve abortion rights in the United States by a vote of 49-51.
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin was the lone Democrat to vote against the bill. Before the vote, he said that he could not support the Women's Health Protection Act because it goes too far in expanding abortions in the United States.
The bill we have today to vote on, Women's Health Protection Act … make no mistake, it is not Roe v. Wade codification, it is an expansion. It wipes 500--500 state laws off the books. It expands abortion," Manchin said, according to Fox News.
Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voted against the bill but introduced their own legislation to codify Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
The bill was brought to the floor following a leaked draft opinion written by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito that would overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to enact restrictions on abortion.
Dozens of states are ready to outlaw abortion, while dozens of others plan to pass laws to ensure that women will continue to have the right to get an abortion within their borders.
The draft opinion is not final and could change by the time the Supreme Court renders its decision in the case this summer.