Pappas Statement on Failure of Women's Health Protection Act in the Senate

Press Release

Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) issued the following statement after the Senate failed to advance the Women's Health Protection Act:

"The failure of this bill in the Senate is further evidence of how out of step Washington Republicans are with women and families in New Hampshire. The vast majority of Granite Staters and Americans support Roe v. Wade as the law of the land, and I will never stop fighting to ensure every American can make their own decisions about their bodies, their health care, their lives, and their futures."

"This is deeply personal to so many, and women are outraged about this attack on their personal freedoms. It's something that I have heard about non-stop as I traveled around the district. My office has also received thousands of messages in support of upholding Roe v. Wade since last week. We can't give up. If the Supreme Court won't uphold fifty years of precedent on reproductive rights, then it's crucial we reflect the will of the people in Congress and protect choice."

Background:

Amid a dangerous assault on basic health freedoms -- from the state house in New Hampshire to the U.S. Supreme Court -- the Women's Health Protection Act would enshrine into law the vital protections of Roe v. Wade and secures the right to reproductive care for everyone across America.

In September 2021, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) helped pass the Women's Health Protection Act in the House. Pappas is an original cosponsor of this legislation, which codifies the constitutional right to abortion care as found in Roe and reaffirmed in many subsequent decisions for nearly half a century.

Also in September 2021, Pappas joined a bicameral amicus brief in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, urging the Supreme Court to uphold nearly 50 years of precedent in Roe v. Wade and protect the constitutional right to abortion care.

In July 2021, Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Annie Kuster (NH-02) urged Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to support family planning services and health providers in New Hampshire who may be negatively impacted as a result of the biennial state budget signed into law June 25, 2021. He reiterated this call alongside the New Hampshire delegation in September 2021, calling on Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to explore all available means to provide immediate support to impacted family planning providers in New Hampshire following the New Hampshire Executive Council's vote to defund family planning providers. Pappas also joined the New Hampshire delegation in calling on the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue immediate approval of a rule change to reverse the Title X Gag Rule that decimated federal funding for the majority of New Hampshire's family planning centers, including Planned Parenthood.

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