Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said that if the choice is between the filibuster or abortion rights, she supports changing the filibuster to protect choice.
Sen. Feinstein said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:
There is not currently a proposal before the Senate to remove the filibuster to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify the protections of Roe v. Wade. However, if it looks similar to the proposal the Senate previously considered for voting rights, I certainly would vote for it.
Let me be clear: If it comes down to protecting the filibuster or protecting a woman’s right to choose, there should be no question that I will vote to protect a woman’s right to choose.
Feinstein’s statement is important because she is one of the senators who has supported keeping the filibuster and only doing limited carve-outs. The last sentence of her statement leaves no ambiguity. If the choice is between keeping the filibuster or codifying Roe, she will support getting rid of the filibuster to protect the rights of 51% of the US population.
The Senate should put politics aside and do a carve out to codify Roe. Each day, more women are endangered as the Senate puts a rule ahead of women’s lives.
The time to act is now. Sen. Feinstein understands the urgency. Hopefully, 49 other Senate Democrats do too.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association