Attempting to move forward in the aftermath of the now-demolished Roe v. Wade, House Democrats are preparing to vote next week on two bills designed to protect access to abortion, The Hill reported.
"We have a sacred, fundamental duty to expand freedom in America, not to roll back fundamental rights," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told The Hill in a statement. "While Republicans seek to criminalize reproductive health care nationwide, House Democrats will never relent in our fight to defend freedom for women and for every American."
On their return to Washington, House lawmakers plan to vote on legislation that will protect women who travel to have an abortion if they live in a state that now bans the controversial procedure.
According to The Hill, some Republican governors and anti-abortion groups are looking to pass laws that would criminalize women who seek abortions out of state.
One of the bills is a revised version of the Women's Health Protection Act, which would expand Roe's abortion protections and codify the right to an abortion into federal law. Every Democrat except one voted in favor of it last fall and it passed the House at that time.
Both measures face an uphill battle in the Senate, as they don't have enough support to clear the filibuster's 60-vote hurdle. After bringing the Women's Health Protection Act to a vote in both February and May of this year, the Senate failed to pass it both times, The Hill reported.
As pressure builds on President Joe Biden to take action, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said it was Congress' job to protect abortion rights.
"In truth, there is very little that the president can do on his own to address the dangers posed by the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson," Hoyer said in a statement. "It is up to Congress to take meaningful action by enacting laws that guarantee reproductive freedom in all states and territories of our union."
Though Biden has insisted that Congress holds the ultimate authority, he signed an executive order on Friday instructing the Department of Health and Human Services to protect and expand access to abortion services, including medication abortion; ensure access to emergency medical care; and enforce Obamacare's birth control mandate.
The president recognized that executive action on its own won't be enough to shield abortion rights from states that are quickly moving to ban the procedure and called on Democrats to vote in November's midterm elections.
"We need two additional pro-choice senators and a pro-choice House to codify Roe as federal law," Biden said. "Your vote can make that a reality."
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.