U.S. House passes bills to ensure nationwide abortion access, interstate travel

Washington: The US House of Representatives on Friday passed two bills aimed at protecting access to abortion, marking the chamber's first legislative attempts at safeguarding the procedure after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade last month.

The first bill the Women's Health Protection Act was passed in a 219-210 vote. Previously, the lower chamber approved the measure in September, but it was twice blocked in the Senate as the legislation seeks to ensure that people have access to abortion nationwide by codifying the right to medical procedure into federal law, The Hill reported.

The second bill titled the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act was passed in a 223-205 vote. This legislation protects women who travel to another state to receive an abortion if their home state prohibits the medical procedure. Three GOP lawmakers supported the measure, including Republicans.

The bill also seeks to make it illegal for facilities to limit access to medical procedures for individuals in states where abortion is lawful.

The legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled House is unlikely, however, to advance in the Senate, where 10 Republican votes would be needed to bring the measures to the floor.

Several conservative states have already banned abortion since the Supreme Court ruling, and about half of the 50 US states are expected to impose near or total bans in weeks or months to come.

Democratic President Joe Biden denounced last month's abortion ruling by the conservative-dominated Supreme Court and has urged Americans to turn out in large numbers to vote in November's midterm elections.

The party in power tends to perform poorly in the midterms, however, and Democrats risk losing their majority in the House and their slim hold on the Senate.