Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Responds to Legislation From Sens. Collins, Murkowski, Sinema, and Kaine on Abortion
For Immediate Release: Monday, August 1, 2022
Contact: [email protected]
NARAL Pro-Choice America Responds to Legislation From Sens. Collins, Murkowski, Sinema, and Kaine on Abortion
Washington, DC — Today, Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced a new bill that would not fix the crisis that abortion rights and access in our country face thanks to extremist politicians.
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju released the following statement in response:
“This bill is just another political stunt that would not actually address the abortion rights and access crisis that has pushed care out of reach for millions of people already. Unless these senators are willing to end the filibuster to pass this measure, there’s no reason to take it seriously.”
There is a bill that would help safeguard our fundamental rights: the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA). WHPA is a critical piece of legislation that would protect the right to abortion throughout the United States, creating a right for providers to provide abortion care and a corresponding right for people to receive that care, free from bans and medically unnecessary restrictions that single out abortion.
Senate Republicans have been crystal clear about where they stand on abortion. Ahead of the Supreme Court’s decision ending Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, 47 GOP Senators signed onto amicus briefs calling on the Court to end the landmark abortion rights decision. Neither Sens. Collins nor Murkowski voted to pass WHPA.
Today’s announcement comes in the aftermath of the anti-choice supermajority on the Supreme Court overturning Roe in its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This cruel decision opened the door for extremist state lawmakers to enforce extreme bans on abortion. Roughly half of the states in the country are at risk of banning abortion, and thus far, 14 states have bans in place and many more are rushing to do the same. The people hurt most by these bans and restrictions are those who already face barriers to accessing abortion care—including women; Black, Indigenous, and other people of color; those working to make ends meet; the LGBTQ+ community; immigrants; young people; those living in rural communities; and people with disabilities.
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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, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for every body. NARAL is powered by its 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.