“Democrats need to act NOW—end the filibuster, codify Roe, and defend reproductive freedom,” tweeted Wisconsin Treasurer Sarah Godlewski. “This fight is too urgent.”
“Democrats have to act quickly — get rid of the filibuster to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act + finally codify Roe into law,” tweeted Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. “We cannot afford to wait.”
“Control of the Senate has never been more important: it’s time to end the filibuster, pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, and fight like hell to make sure all Ohio families are free to make these critical decisions without interference from politicians in Columbus or Washington,” added Ohio US Rep. Tim Ryan.
The push from the Democratic candidates and others is likely to fail, unless some incumbent senators change their minds. In the 50-50 Senate, Democrats need every vote to strike down the chamber’s filibuster rule, which sets up a 60-vote threshold that requires bipartisan cooperation to pass most bills. And Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have repeatedly committed to protecting the filibuster.
The draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito was circulated in early February, according to Politico. The final opinion has not been released, and votes and language can change before opinions are formally released. The opinion in the case — Dobbs v. Jackson, which concerns a challenge to Mississippi’s 15-week ban on abortion — is not expected to be published until late June.
Politico says it has authenticated the draft, but CNN has not independently confirmed the document’s authenticity. A Supreme Court spokesperson declined to comment to CNN.
According to the draft, the court would overturn Roe v. Wade’s holding of a federal constitutional right to abortion. The opinion would be the most consequential abortion decision in decades and would transform the landscape of women’s reproductive health in America.
Republican Senate candidates touted the draft’s contents as a long-awaited victory, 49 years after the Roe v. Wade ruling.
“A victory for human life,” said Arizona US Senate GOP candidate Jim Lamon. Another Arizona Senate GOP candidate, Blake Masters, tweeted: “Bye bye Roe.”
Alabama US Rep. Mo Brooks said that the breach of court confidentiality aimed to “intimidate” justices before they reached a final ruling.
“They are only leaking this in order to put pressure on and intimidate the Court before the decision officially comes down,” tweeted Brooks. “Pray for life and that justice is done.”
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