House Democrats Advance Legislation to Protect Women’s Reproductive Rights
Immediately following the Supreme Court’s dangerous decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, House Democrats are advancing legislation that would ensure women in the United States have the freedom to make their own health care decisions, and prevent states from interfering with Americans’ right to seek abortion care in other states:
H.R. 8296, the Women’s Health Protection Act, would prohibit governmental restrictions on accessing abortion services and ensure health care providers and patients have a statutory right to provide and receive abortion care, restoring a nationwide right to abortion care and ensuring Americans can make their own health care decisions regardless of where they live.
H.R. 8297, the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act, addresses states’ efforts to punish Americans traveling for reproductive health care, which is protected by the Constitutional right to travel. This legislation would ensure no person acting under state law could prevent, restrict, or otherwise retaliate against a person traveling across state lines for lawful abortion care, including vigilantes empowered by states under current anti-choice laws.
THE WOMEN’S HEALTH PROTECTION ACT
H.R. 8296, the Women’s Health Protection Act, would prohibit governmental restrictions on accessing abortion services and ensure health care providers and patients have a statutory right to provide and receive abortion care, restoring a nationwide right to abortion care and ensuring Americans can make their own health care decisions regardless of where they live.
THE ENSURING ACCESS TO ABORTION ACT
H.R. 8297, the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act, addresses states’ efforts to punish Americans traveling for reproductive health care, which is protected by the Constitutional right to travel. This legislation would ensure no person acting under state law could prevent, restrict, or otherwise retaliate against a person traveling across state lines for lawful abortion care, including vigilantes empowered by states under current anti-choice laws.
Polling clearly shows that a bipartisan majority of Americans oppose the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade:
A Pew Research Center poll released on July 6 reported that 57% of Americans disapproved of the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, with 43% of Americans strongly opposing the decision.
- 62% of Americans believe access to abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
- 53% of Independents opposed the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
- 52% of respondents agreed that overturning Roe v. Wade was a “step backwards for America.”
- 58% of respondents favored a federal law making abortion legal nationwide.
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