“In light of the leaked draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and subsequent reports that Republicans in the US House and Senate will introduce legislation to enact a nationwide six-week ban, the real question right now is: Do you support an outright ban on abortion? ?” Casey said in a statement. “During my time in public office, I have never voted – nor supported – such a ban.”
The Senate is set to vote Wednesday on introducing the bill, an effort likely to fail due to opposition from Republicans.
Casey is the son of Robert B. Casey, who fought a battle as Governor of Pennsylvania against Planned Parenthood that eventually led to the landmark 1992 Supreme Court decision. Planned Parenthood vs Casey.
After the draft of the Supreme Court with the invalidated majority opinion Raw vs. Wade Leaked last week, Senator Casey asserted that he has “serious concerns about what repealing nearly 50 years of legal precedent might mean for women in states with near-total or near-total bans on abortion.”
Describing Casey’s abortion record is more complex than it is for most of his fellow Democrats. Help advance the Women’s Health Protection Act this year. But when Republicans took control of the Senate majority, Casey supported a federal ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. He also supported the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funding for abortions.
However, these positions have not earned him much support among anti-abortion groups who emphasize voting for Supreme Court nominations as a primary test for senators and Senate candidates. On those, Casey has been consistent, voting against all three of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominees.
Casey said Tuesday that he had not spoken with Senator Joe Manchin III (DW.Va.), the other anti-abortion Democrat in the Senate, prior to his announcement, though he noted he had spoken with Manchin about the issue in the past.
When asked if his personal beliefs have changed, Casey said it was “only about a bill.”
“I think when there is an issue that worries people across the country, especially women and their families, you should make it clear how you are going to vote on a bill even though we are not in…passage,” he said.
Casey added that the labels that have described this debate for so long – such as “pro-life” or “pro-choice” – appear to have changed.
“I think he has now come down to [abortion] Casey said. “I think this is the way forward. This law is a direct response against the abortion ban, and I support it.”
Casey was re-elected to his third term in the Senate in 2018 and will not be subject to re-election again until 2024.
Lee Ann Caldwell and Mike DeBonis contributed to this report.
