Vice President Kamala Harris just announced that she wants to abolish the Senate filibuster to fast-track legislation to reinstate national Roe v. Wade rules on abortion.

No matter who takes the White House or the Senate, the filibuster should remain to allow for extended debate. The procedure forces the majority party to listen to the minority party, and to back-bench members of its own party.

The filibuster is a procedure, not a policy. It serves an important purpose to lengthen debate and to slow legislation in a way that forces the parties to compromise and come to agreement on controversial issues.

The debate over the filibuster is coming up again because Democrats are confident that they can take the White House and secure a working majority on abortion issues in the Senate. Democrats think they can get to 51 votes on legislation to codify Roe, but they would fall short of the 60 needed to shut off debate.

That same position would likely be adopted by Republicans if former President Donald Trump wins and the GOP picks up enough Senate seats to give them a working pro-life majority, enabling them to move forward legislation........

© The Hill