Welch, Peter

U.S. House of Representatives, Vermont district AL

Representative Welch has served in the House of Representatives since 2007.
Representative Welch is fully pro-choice and received a 100% pro-choice rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America in 2007.
Recently, at a hearing to investigate "abstinence-only" programs, Representative Welch proved a tough interrogator when he forced anti-choice Senator Sam Brownback to admit that federally funded programs should be (but are not currently) effective and medically accurate.
On Representative Welch's website, he states: "Voters are tired of the divisive attacks on a woman's right to choice. They are also rightfully concerned about the erosion of choice under the current Republican leadership. I believe we must take politics out of the issue of choice, focus on reducing and preventing the need for abortions, require pharmacists to honor prescriptions for birth control issued by a woman's doctor, and help improve birth control coverage by insurance companies. I believe abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. I oppose late term abortion and, consistent with Roe v. Wade, procedures after the third trimester can be regulated by states as long as there is an exception for health of the woman. Here in Vermont we have been successful focusing on prevention and believe we must begin at the federal level to address this issue with the same bipartisan common sense."
Representative Welch is a co-sponsor of both the Freedom of Choice Act and the Prevention First Act.