WASHINGTON Senate Republicans on Tuesday avoided answering questions about outlawing abortion in the wake of a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion suggesting Roe v. Wades days are numbered.

Instead, Republicans focused on the unprecedented nature of the leak itself, calling for repercussions against the leaker and expressing concern about what such a breach of trust within the court would mean for legitimacy of the justices.

When asked if he took pride for the apparent demise of Roe, which wouldnt be possible without him, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) bristled at the suggestion.

Thats not the story for today, McConnell insisted to reporters at a weekly press conference on Capitol Hill.

Republicans have been working for decades to overturn Roe, an effort that culminated in the appointment of three Supreme Court justices by former President Donald Trump , who promised to nominate only justices who opposed abortion rights.

One would think that Republicans would be openly celebrating their apparent victory before the court like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who was shedding tears of joy following the news on Monday. But GOP leaders pointedly refrained from doing so, something Democrats chalked up to the coming midterm elections.

They spent decades trying to repeal Roe and now they wont even own up to it Their spin masters are telling them to avoid the subject and they did, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday. Theyre like the dog that caught the bus ... They know theyll pay consequences in the 2022 elections.

Polling has long suggested that most voters dont favor overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court precedent that legalized abortion nationwide. Fifty-four percent of Americans think Roe should be upheld, while 28% believe it should be overturned, a 2-1 margin, according to a recent Washington Post/ABC poll.

Schumer said it is his intention to hold a vote on a bill that would enshrine abortion access in federal law, but Republicans are almost certain to block it. Democrats also lack the support within their caucus to eliminate the filibuster to pass it on their own.

Republicans could retake the Senate in this falls midterm elections, giving them a chance to hold a vote on abortion legislation on their own. Anti-abortion advocates have pushed for a nationwide ban; already, 26 states are either likely or certain to outlaw abortion if Roe is overturned, according to the Guttmacher Institute .

On Tuesday, HuffPost interviewed more than a dozen Republican senators. Most declined to comment on future abortion legislation, saying they were more focused on the impropriety of someone leaking a draft Supreme Court opinion.

I am going to focus right now on the leak, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said. Thats what were talking about right now. Lets let the Supreme Court go through their deliberations first, go through the proper process.

Ernst is planning to introduce legislation banning abortion nationwide, according to an anti-abortion activist interviewed by The Washington Post .