Info Boxes
Info Boxes

Biden: filibuster block for abortion

By
July 26, 2022

President Biden announced that he would support an exception to the Senate filibuster rule to move legislation to protect access to abortion.

The history: The filibuster allows any member of the Senate to block legislation unless it receives 60 votes. Although the Democrats are in control of the Senate, their margin hangs on a 50-50 tie, with VP Harris casting tiebreakers.

The issue: The right to abortion was never codified into law. Instead, those seeking that procedure relied on a 1973 Supreme Court decision in the case of Roe vs. Wade allowing abortion. That decision was overturned.

The solution: A suspension of the filibuster would allow a Senate controlled by Democrats to move through a bill ensuring the right to abortion is nationwide, instead of the patchwork of state laws currently in place.

About the Author

Justin Beckett is the Team Leader and Senior Designer at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has worked in journalism for 18 years, including stints as a designer and editor at The Daily Press in Victorville, Calif. and Project Team Leader at the Dayton Daily News in Ohio. Most recently he served as an Editions Coach at The AJC.

More Stories

Featured

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones — pictured at an August rally in Peachtree City that also featured Vice President JD Vance — appears to have scored another legal victory over gubernatorial rival Attorney General Chris Carr in their battle over campaign finance issues. (Arvin Temkar/AJC 2025)

Credit: Arvin Temkar / AJC

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones scores another victory over use of campaign cash

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones appears to have scored another victory over Attorney General Chris Carr as the Republican gubernatorial candidates battle over campaign finance issues.

Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr.’s season is over; needs surgery to repair ACL

Michael Penix Jr., whom the Falcons hoped was their quarterback of the future, will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn ACL in his left knee.

Typewriter Tom fuels a growing interest in analog writing devices

Roswell's Tom Rehkopf owns about 1,000 typewriters, which he tinkers with at his workshop and happily shares with fellow aficionados, curious youngsters and even Tom Hanks.