WASHINGTON | The US Senate failed on Wednesday to pass a law guaranteeing access to abortion nationwide, at a time when this right is seriously threatened by an upcoming Supreme Court decision.

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This vote was above all symbolic, the Democrats not having the 60 votes out of 100 necessary to move forward on this text. But it is part of a larger fight by progressives to try to protect the right to abortion.

Manifestation on May 14

Anxious to weigh in on the debate, several major progressive organizations have called on Americans to march en masse on May 14 across the United States.

Four major marches are held in Washington, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, and hundreds of rallies across the rest of the country.

US President Joe Biden has also promised to get personally involved in the battle and urged Americans to “choose candidates in favor” of the right to abortion in the midterm legislative elections on November 8.

He thus wishes to enlarge the majority of Democrats in the Senate, with the hope of then being able to pass this federal law protecting access to abortion.

But these elections are always very dangerous for the power in place, and it is very possible that the Democrats will on the contrary lose their slim majorities in Congress during the ballot.