Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Applauds U.S. House Oversight Committee Hearing on Need to Protect and Expand Abortion Access
For Immediate Release: Thursday, September 30, 2021
Contact: [email protected]
Washington, DC — Today, Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a hearing entitled “A State of Crisis: Examining the Urgent Need to Protect and Expand Abortion Rights and Access.” This hearing examined the unprecedented threats to abortion at both the state and federal level and evaluated actions Congress and the federal government can take to protect the right to abortion and expand access to care. Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA), Cori Bush (D-MO), and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) shared their personal stories about abortion as part of the proceeding.
NARAL Pro-Choice America’s Chief Campaigns and Advocacy Officer Christian LoBue released the following statement:
“We commend Chair Maloney for her leadership and for convening this important hearing at a critical moment in the fight for reproductive freedom. Abortion access is under attack in dozens of states across the country and the legal right to abortion is hanging on by a tenuous thread.
It is more urgent than ever that our elected leaders take action to protect and advance our fundamental freedoms and speak out in support of our rights. We applaud Representatives Lee, Bush, and Jayapal for courageously sharing their powerful, personal stories. These firsthand experiences underscore the crucial need to ensure that every body has access to the care they need to make the best decisions for their families and futures.”
In 2021 alone, more than 90 restrictions on abortion access have been enacted at the state level, making it the worst year for abortion rights since Roe v. Wade was decided. This includes Texas’ SB 8, the vigilante-enforced abortion ban at about six weeks of pregnancy that has effectively cut off all abortion access in the state. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block Texas’ blatantly unconstitutional ban on abortion, rendering Roe v. Wade meaningless for tens of millions of Texans.
In the midst of unyielding attacks on abortion access in states across the country, the Supreme Court announced that it will hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—a case challenging Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban that directly threatens the future of Roe v. Wade. Oral arguments in this case are scheduled for December 1.
In response to the unprecedented threats to reproductive freedom, the U.S. House of Representatives voted last week to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA). WHPA protects the right to access abortion care free from bans and medically unnecessary restrictions, safeguarding the federal right to abortion throughout the United States. This legislation now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration. The White House recently issued a Statement of Administration Policy in support of its passage.
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For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, paid family leave, and protections from pregnancy discrimination—for every body. NARAL is powered by its more than 2.5 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support safe, legal abortion.