Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), son of the famous anti-abortion governor whose name adorns Casey v. Planned Parenthood, will support reforming the filibuster to pass abortion protections.
“He believes the rule should be changed for a number of issues and this is one of them,” Casey press secretary Natalie Adams told TPM.
Casey has evolved significantly on abortion, in May announcing that he’d vote for a bill to codify protections soon after the draft Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade leaked.
“In the nearly three months since the Senate last voted on the Women’s Health Protection Act, the circumstances around the entire debate on abortion have changed,” he said at the time. “In light of the leaked Supreme Court decision draft overturning Roe v. Wade, and subsequent reports that Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate will introduce legislation to enact a nationwide six-week ban, the real question of the moment is: do you support a categorical ban on abortion?”
“During my time in public office I have never voted for — nor do I support — such a ban,” he added.
The Women’s Health Protection Act never got to a final vote due to a Republican filibuster.
The Casey revelation comes as Democrats are coalescing behind a call for voters to supply them with two more Democratic senators — to override Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) continued support of the filibuster — so they can pass abortion protections with 50 votes. In its current form, the filibuster requires that any such legislation garner 60.
Democrats would also have to hold the House through a rocky midterm cycle in order to codify Roe next year.
Earlier on Thursday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), a Senate institutionalist, said that she too would support a change to the filibuster to pass abortion protections.
“Let me be clear: If it comes down to protecting the filibuster or protecting a woman’s right to choose, there should be no question that I will vote to protect a woman’s right to choose,” she said in a statement.
