Gillibrand says her colleagues plan to vote to codify Roe v. Wade

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said on Sunday that she and her colleagues plan to vote this week to codify Roe v. Wade, in response to the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion to overturn that indicated the court would overturn the landmark ruling.

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” moderator Jake Tapper shared a clip of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) criticizing party officials for not doing enough in the fight for abortion rights. 

Gillibrand responded that she and her colleagues are doing everything possible in response to the leaked draft opinion, citing it as the “biggest fight” of the generation. 

“Every one of us is standing up, speaking out, rallying, marching, talking to our constituents, lifting up their voices and their stories,” Gillibrand told Tapper. “This is the biggest fight of a generation, Jake. And if America’s people, America’s women and men who love them do not fight right now, we will lose the basic right to make decisions, to have bodily autonomy, and to decide what our futures look like.” 

Gillibrand added that her Democratic colleagues have been pushing for their Republican allies for a vote to codify the landmark decision, also noting that this issue would be a central point in November’s midterm election. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said last week he plans for a vote on the matter on Wednesday, though it is unlikely to pass.

“We are going to be aggressive with all our colleagues and with our Republican allies to vote for codifying Roe v. Wade. We are not giving up. We will never give in. And we will keep fighting. And if the American people are paying attention, this issue will also be on the ballot in November,” Gillibrand told Tapper. 

‘We need to make sure that every single voter understands that the Republican Party and [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell does not believe that their daughters, that their mothers, that their sisters have rights to make fundamental life-and-death decisions. We are half-citizens under this ruling. And if this is put into law, it changes the foundation of America,” she concluded. 

Politico last week obtained and published a draft opinion decision that signaled the majority of justices would favor overturning the landmark 1973 decision.