Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Applauds White House for Statement of Administration Policy Supporting the Women’s Health Protection Act
For Immediate Release: Monday, September 20, 2021
Contact: [email protected]
Washington, DC — Today, the White House released a Statement of Administration Policy strongly supporting House passage of H.R. 3755, 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. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on WHPA later this week.
NARAL Pro-Choice America Chief Campaigns and Advocacy Officer Christian LoBue released the following statement:
“We commend the Biden-Harris administration for their Statement of Administration Policy in support of the Women’s Health Protection Act. This legislation is the best way to protect the legal right to abortion throughout the United States and President Biden’s support comes at a critical juncture.
The future of reproductive freedom is on the line. States are rushing to copy Texas’ draconian ban on abortion and the Supreme Court will have an opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade in just a few short months. There is absolutely no time to waste. Congress must act quickly to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act so that President Biden can sign it into law.”
The Women’s Health Protection Act safeguards the federal right to abortion should Roe v. Wade fall, creating a right for healthcare 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 and block access to care.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block Texas‘ blatantly unconstitutional SB 8, a law banning abortion at approximately 6 weeks, before many people even know they are pregnant. This law also grants almost any person the power to sue someone for “aiding and abetting” a pregnant person seeking abortion care and be awarded $10,000 or more for their vigilantism.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court—solidified by the confirmations of Trump’s justices—agreed to take up Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a challenge to Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban that directly threatens the future of Roe v. Wade. Oral agreements in this case are scheduled for December 1.
Every day without Congressional action on WHPA means that more and more people are being denied their constitutional right to abortion—and this disproportionately affects women, Black, Indigenous, and people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those with lower incomes.
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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.