Power To Decide Thanks Senate Supporters of the Women’s Health Protection Act
(Washington, D.C.) – The U.S. Senate held a historic vote today on the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), a measure that would codify into federal law the rights of people to receive abortion care without medically unnecessary restrictions, such as mandatory waiting periods, ultrasounds or biased counseling. While the measure was unable to overcome procedural hurdles to passage, today’s vote nonetheless represents an important step forward as the Senate’s first ever on stand-alone, proactive abortion legislation.
The following statement can be attributed to Power to Decide CEO Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, MPH:
“We at Power to Decide cheer the historic step forward that today’s vote represents and applaud the many legislative champions standing up for reproductive health, rights and justice for all. Despite this historic effort on the Women’s Health Protection Act, millions of people remain at the mercy of a patchwork of state laws designed only to make abortion care difficult if not possible to access.
“State legislatures across the country have passed nearly 500 laws to restrict or ban abortion care since 2011, culminating with the passage of Texas’s draconian SB 8.
“The health crisis sparked by SB 8 is reflected in visits to Power to Decide’s clinic locator, which has surged almost 600% in the past six months among Texas women seeking abortion care. This sharp increase highlights the urgent need for federal policies that can protect the rights of people to get the abortion care they need, when they need it, without medically unnecessary restrictions.
“As an OBGYN who has provided abortion care the past 20 years, I’ve seen first-hand the devastating harm abortion restrictions can have on a pregnant person’s reproductive well-being and mental health. These politically-motivated restrictions are particularly devastating to people who already face daily, systemic barriers to health care, people struggling to make ends meet, people in rural areas or communities of color.
“We are encouraged by the strong showing of support for the Women’s Health Protection Act and look forward to future efforts to pass this urgently-needed legislation. We can and must help ensure all people have the ability to decide their futures and live life on their own terms.”
Power to Decide is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization that works to ensure all people—no matter who they are, where they live, or what their economic status might be—have the power to decide if, when and under what circumstances to get pregnant or have a child.
