Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) both reiterated their support for the filibuster on Tuesday despite the Supreme Court appearing likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, which has been the foundation for abortion rights for 50 years. Manchin declined to comment on the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion but said that the Senate has “protected women’s rights with the filibuster.” He added, “The filibuster is the only protection we have in democracy.” Likewise, Sinema said she supported abortion rights but would not bend on the filibuster. “Protections in the Senate safeguarding against the erosion of women’s access to health care have been used half-a-dozen times in the past 10 years, and are more important now than ever.” Democrats’ attempt to weaken the filibuster in order to pass voting rights legislation failed earlier this year thanks to Manchin and Sinema. With it still in place, Democrats would need to be joined by 10 Republicans to meet the 60-vote threshold required to pass abortion laws.
