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Sep 5, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Amy Klobuchar: Senate should eliminate the filibuster to protect abortion rights

Ivana Saric

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that the Senate should abolish the filibuster in order to protect abortion rights.

Driving the news: Klobuchar's comments come after the Supreme Court last week allowed one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the U.S. to take effect in Texas. The Minnesota senator said Sunday the court had "greenlighted a law that is blatantly against Roe v. Wade."

Worth noting: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) last week promised to pass the Women's Health Protection Act, codifying Roe v. Wade, when the House returns from recess.

  • Klobuchar said Sunday ending the filibuster would be key to the bill's slim chances of clearing the Senate.

The big picture: Klobuchar said she "hoped" the conservative-tilted Supreme Court would not overturn Roe v. Wade, but noted that it can take years for a case to wind up before the Supreme Court, which is why she aims to have the Senate codify it.

What they're saying: "So, my solution to this, which is my solution for voting rights and so many other things, including climate change, where one side of the country is in flames, the other side of the country is flooded, with people dying submerged in their cars, I believe we should abolish the filibuster," she said.

  • "I do not believe an archaic rule should be used to allow us to put our heads in the sand ... and not take action on the important issues, the challenges that are facing our country right now."
  • "We just will get nowhere if we keep this filibuster in place," she said.
  • "This is an assault on women's health, there is no doubt about it."

Of note: White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain told the same program Sunday that lawyers at the Justice Department are looking for “legal remedies to protect women who are seeking to exercise their constitutional rights."

  • “We are going to find ways if they're at all possible — and I think they are possible — we're going to find ways to make a difference for the women of Texas, to try to protect their constitutional rights,” he said.
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