Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar was the only Democrat to vote against a bill that would legalize abortion at any point in a woman’s pregnancy and weaken conscience protections for doctors who do not want to perform the procedure.
The Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021, sponsored by Democratic California Rep. Judy Chu, passed the House of Representatives in a 218-211 vote on Friday. Every Republican and Cuellar voting against it. Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal introduced a companion bill in the Senate, which is not expected to pass.
Cuellar did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
Pro-abortion EMILY’s List slammed his vote.
“Congressman Henry Cuellar has shown us time and again where he stands, and that’s against abortion,” the group said in a statement. “While his home state has essentially made abortion illegal and inaccessible, Congressman Cuellar continues to stand against our rights to make our own health care decisions.”
EMILY’s List is out with a statement condemning Rep. Henry Cuellar, the lone crossover vote against the Dems’ reproductive rights bill. With Jessica Cisneros back for a rematch, this vote is going to come up again and again on the campaign trail. pic.twitter.com/a44PSDEYGt
— Kirk A. Bado (@kirk_bado) September 24, 2021
Jessica Cisneros, who lost in the 2020 Democratic primary to Cuellar and is challenging him again in 2020, accused Cuellar of “refus[ing] to defend our reproductive rights.”
Today, Henry Cuellar was the only Democrat to vote against protecting human rights.
His vote against #WHPA is a vote against reproductive health care for all South Texans.
It is clear where he stands: directly against our reproductive freedom and our health care. pic.twitter.com/6CLprVopZU
— Jessica Cisneros (@JCisnerosTX) September 24, 2021
Following the defeats of Illinois Rep. Dan Lipinski and Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson in 2020, Cuellar is the last Democrat in the House of Representatives to oppose abortion. One of the most moderate Democrats in the House, Cuellar has also been critical of the Biden administration’s immigration policy. (RELATED: Only Three Democrats Voted For The 20-Week Abortion Ban)
Democrats for Life praised Cuellar’s vote.
“Abortion should not be a partisan issue,” president Kristen Day said. “We hope that other Democrats in Congress will follow the lead of Congressman Cuellar and vote for women rather than for the abortion industry.”