Hoyer Statement On Senate Republicans' Vote to Block Consideration of the Women's Health Protection Act

Statement

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement tonight after Senate Republicans voted to block consideration of the Women's Health Protection Act:

"Senate Republicans' vote to block consideration of the Women's Health Protection Act today is a shameful rejection of a woman's right to access the full range of reproductive health care. Women deserve the freedom to make their own decisions about their own health care, and it is a travesty that Republican-led states are considering and enacting legislation to prevent them from doing so.

"Rep. Judy Chu's Women's Health Protection Act, which the House passed in September, is a necessary piece of legislation at this critical moment in the fight for women's right to access health care. This is particularly true at a time when Roe v. Wade itself is under threat by cases being brought before the Supreme Court. In Texas, S.B. 8 prohibits the termination of a pregnancy after six weeks, which is before many women find out they are pregnant. Unnecessary forced waiting periods and policies that have led to the closure of clinics in rural and suburban areas have made the full range of reproductive health care inaccessible to millions of women in Texas and several other states. As a result, women are again being forced to cross state lines to seek care, with the burden falling unevenly on low-income women, women from rural areas, and minority women.

"House Democrats remain committed to securing the rights affirmed under Roe v. Wade and protecting the access of all women to health care, regardless of where they live or their income level. We will continue to stand up for the large majority of Americans who agree that everyone should have access to the full range of reproductive health care, and we will keep fighting to defend that access and stand up for women's equality and right to reproductive choice."

Source