CONGRESSMAN MORELLE TAKES ACTION TO STRENGTHEN WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE AND PROTECT REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

(Washington, D.C.) — Today, Congressman Joe Morelle announced he has taken action to protect and strengthen women's healthcare by co-sponsoring the Women’s Health Protection Act. The bill seeks to put an end to oppressive state laws restricting women's access to reproductive health services by enshrining the protections previously provided by the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision into federal law.

“Every woman—no matter where she lives—deserves the fundamental right to decide what happens to her own body. Unfortunately, that right was stripped away in the disastrous Dobbs decision, which is why it’s more important than ever to enact federal protections for the right to choose,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “I was proud to help pass the Women’s Health Protection Act in the House of Representatives last year, and I’m pleased to once again co-sponsor this much-needed legislation. I’m committed to working alongside my colleagues to strengthen women’s rights and ensure every woman has safe and reliable access to the healthcare services they deserve.”

Michelle Casey, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York, said, “It has been almost a year since the fall of Roe v Wade, and we have continued to see state legislatures across the country propose and pass legislation that is hostile to reproductive health and freedom. Attacks on essential health care deeply harm the same people who have always faced systemic barriers to care — Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, the LGBTQ+ community, young people, those living in rural communities, people with disabilities, and people with low incomes. The Women's Health Protection Act is critical legislation that would protect the right to abortion throughout the United States and guard against the medically unnecessary abortion restrictions being pushed forward by state politicians. The Women's Health Protection Act is a necessary step towards truly protecting and advancing abortion access, and I thank Representative Morelle for championing this legislation.”

In the nine months since the United States Supreme Court issued the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v Wade, dozens of states have begun taking steps to ban abortion. These include bans as early as six weeks, despite the fact that many women may not know they are pregnant by this time—forcing women to carry unviable pregnancies to term or travel hundreds and even thousands of miles across state lines to access healthcare services. Some states have even gone as far as to propose subjecting women who undergo abortions to state homicide laws, which include the death penalty. The Women's Health Protection Act would counter these statewide restrictions by establishing a federal statutory right for patients to receive reproductive healthcare, no matter where they live.

Read more about the Women’s Health Protection Acthere.