U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, long seen as a pro-life Democrat, on Tuesday said that he supports congressional efforts to codify abortion rights into federal law.
In a statement, Casey said he chose to support the congressional efforts because of the leaked ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that, if enacted, would strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nearly 50 years ago. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said last week that the leaked opinion is authentic but not final.
Casey, a Democrat from Scranton, said he will support the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill that codifies Roe protections in federal law and will soon face a vote in the Senate. Given the possibility Roe could be overturned, and stories about Republicans preparing legislation for a federal abortion ban if they were to retake control of Congress, Casey said he now supports the bill.
“In light of the leaked Supreme Court decision draft overturning Roe v. Wade, and subsequent reports that Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate will introduce legislation to enact a nationwide six-week ban, the real question of the moment is: do you support a categorical ban on abortion?” said Casey in a statement. “During my time in public office, I have never voted for — nor do I support — such a ban.”
Regardless, the bill is likely to fail, as Republicans and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., oppose it. Casey’s support pushes backing for the Women’s Health Protection Act up to 49 votes, but it would need 60 votes to clear the Senate, and 50 votes if the filibuster was scrapped.
Early in his political career, Casey described himself as a “pro-life” Democrat and held more anti-abortion views. Throughout his time in the Senate, where he has served since 2007, his views and support of abortion have changed, and by 2020, he received a 72% rating from NARAL, one of the country’s biggest reproductive rights groups.
Underlying all of Casey’s changing views on abortion is his own personal history. Casey’s father, former Pennsylvania Gov. Bob Casey Sr., passed abortion restrictions that were then subject to the Planned Parenthood v. Casey case in the Supreme Court. The 1992 court ruling overturned Roe’s strict trimester framework but upheld Roe’s central holding that women have a right to have an abortion before viability of the fetus.
The leaked Supreme Court ruling, which was authored by Justice Samuel Alito, would overturn Planned Parenthood v. Casey, as well as Roe.
