WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Monday blocked consideration of a bill to make abortion legal nationwide, the centerpiece of Democrats’ response to Republican-led efforts to ask the Supreme Court to send the issue back to states to decide.
As expected the procedural vote to start debate fell along largely along party lines, 46-48.
But the fact that the vote was held despite its low odds of success underscored the subtly shifting politics in the Democratic Party on the issue, as abortion rights advocates demand more vocal support from lawmakers and show little tolerance for outliers.
