Limit on abortion rights ‘not a reality I plan to accept,’ Rep. Newman says

U.S. Rep. Marie Newman stressed the need for congressional action to protect abortion rights as the Supreme Court appears poised to overturn a key decision which legalized abortion back in the 1970s.

The high court is expected to rule on a Mississippi state law outlawing abortion after 15 weeks into a pregnancy. During oral arguments, the questions by conservative justices suggested a willingness to overturn the precedent of Roe v. Wade that was decided in 1973 and allowed for the procedure.

“There is a real chance that this court – which is dominated by hard-right conservatives after Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell rammed through judges over the voices of the American people - will overturn Roe in a few months,” Newman, D-La Grange, said in an email to supporters.

Newman pointed to legislation passed by Democrats in the House of Representatives earlier this year which would protect abortion rights. But she said the bill has “gone nowhere” since Republicans in the Senate can block its passage with a simple majority by using the filibuster rule.

She said that if the court overturns Roe v. Wade, it will be easier in many states for someone to buy a gun than to get an abortion. Newman argued it was time for the Senate to repeal the filibuster.

“That’s not a reality I plan to accept, and stopping it from happening matters far more than maintaining an outdated Senate procedure,” she said.