Illinois' two U.S. Senators are calling on their fellow lawmakers to pass legislation making abortion legal nationwide, after a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court showed justices may be poised to overturn Roe vs Wade.
Senator Dick Durbin, who chairs the powerful Judiciary Committee, says the release of the document should be a call to action.
"Everyone, no matter where you live or how much money you make, deserves access to healthcare without barriers or political roadblocks. Regardless of the Supreme Court's final decision later this summer, Congress cannot sit idly by - nor can this committee. We must enshrine into law a woman's right to make her own healthcare choices."
Senator Tammy Duckworth supports the call for federal legislation protecting the right to an abortion, as well.
“I will keep working to convince my colleagues in the Senate that we must act to codify Roe v. Wade into law so that every American has equal access to basic, necessary healthcare—regardless of which state they live in, the color of their skin or the size of their income.”
Further, Durbin says he has great concern about the ethics of justices who pledge to uphold precedent in the nomination and confirmation process, and then fail to do so when they reach the bench. He judicial ethics must also be addressed in Washington.
