Collins expected to oppose Democrats' bill protecting abortion rights, citing concerns over scope

(CNN) Sen. Susan Collins, a rare GOP supporter of abortion rights who is under scrutiny for her key role in confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court amid fears that Roe v. Wade may soon be overturned, signaled to reporters on Thursday that she would oppose a bill that Democrats plan to bring to the Senate floor next week to codify abortion rights.

The bill, known as the the Women's Health Protection Act, is on track to fail in the Senate with or without support from the Maine Republican, but the swing vote senator's likely opposition underscores how difficult it is to reach bipartisan consensus on the contentious issue of abortion and comes as Democrats face enormous pressure to take action after a Supreme Court draft opinion to strike down Roe v. Wade leaked this week.

Collins voted in support of both Neil Gorsuch's and Kavanaugh's confirmations and has previously said Kavanaugh told her he agreed that Roe v. Wade is settled law . The senator said on Tuesday that the draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade was " completely inconsistent" with what Gorsuch and Kavanaugh "said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office." She did not go so far as to say, though, that she had been misled by Kavanaugh. When asked that question by CNN, she said, "My statement speaks for itself."

Collins has introduced her own bill with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska to codify abortion rights established by Roe v. Wade. Collins argued on Thursday that the measure put forward by Democrats is too broad and raised concerns about the bill not including a so-called conscience clause, which would allow providers to refuse to perform abortions for religious or moral reasons.

"It supersedes all other federal and state laws, including the conscience protections that are in the Affordable Care Act," said Collins. She added, "It doesn't protect the right of a Catholic hospital to not perform abortions. That right has been enshrined in law for a long time."