House votes to protect abortion rights amid state challenges

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and LISA MASCARO
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation passed by the House on Friday would guarantee a woman’s right to an abortion. But it’s a largely symbolic gesture because Republican opposition will doom the measure in the Senate. The House vote is part of an effort by Democrats to circumvent a new Texas law that has placed that access under threat. Democrats say they’ll do all they can to codify the Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. They say abortion rights are under threat after the Supreme Court allowed a Texas law that would ban most abortions in the state to take effect.