U.S. Rep. Lawrence Votes to Defend Reproductive Health Rights Against Dangerous Assaults, Enshrine Roe v. Wade Protections into Law

Press Release

Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Representative Brenda L. Lawrence (MI-14) voted in favor of HR 3577, the Women's Health Protection Act (WHPA). Amid a dangerous assault on women's basic health freedoms -- from state houses across the country to the U.S. Supreme Court -- this landmark legislation enshrines into law the vital protections of Roe v. Wade and secures the right to reproductive care for all women across America. Rep. Lawrence, Co-Chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus, is an original cosponsor of the WHPA.

"Reproductive freedom is under attack all across the country. Since the Supreme Court refused to protect this right and defend Roe vs. Wade, Congress must do so," said Rep. Brenda Lawrence. "In 2021, we're still having this outrageous debate over whether or not women can make their own healthcare decisions. Abortion bans don't ban abortions, they just ban safe abortions. I am proud to vote for this life-saving bill and protect a woman's constitutional right to an abortion."

The Women's Health Protections Act codifies the constitutional right to abortion care as found in Roe and reaffirmed in many subsequent decisions for nearly half a century. It establishes the federal statutory right for health care providers to offer abortion care and the federal right for patients to receive that care, free from state restrictions. Enshrining these essential rights is also an issue of racial and economic justice, as restrictions on reproductive care disproportionately harm women of color and women from low-income communities and perpetuate long-standing inequities.

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