Ted Lieu

09/24/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/24/2021 11:39

REP LIEU VOTES TO CODIFY ROE V. WADE

September 24, 2021
Press Release

WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued the following statement after the House passed TheWomen's Health Protection Act, legislation to enshrine access to reproductive health care into law for everyone across America, regardless of what state they live in. In 1973, the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision held that women's access to abortion is a constitutional right and the Court has repeatedly upheld Roe v. Wade as precedent for nearly half a century. However, the Supreme Court's decision to permit the implementation of Texas's extreme abortion law, and the threat of numerous other state attacks on the constitutional right to choose, have made the enactment of The Women's Health Protection Act even more urgent.

"I was horrified by the Supreme Court's unwillingness to block Texas S.B. 8, a radical, extreme, and dangerous law. It effectively bans abortions before most women even know they are pregnant, with no exceptions for rape or incest, and creates incentives for neighbors to snitch on and sue one another. I was pleased to cosponsor and vote in support of the legislation to codify Roe v. Wade so no state can infringe upon a person's constitutional freedom to make deeply personal decisions about medical care. Thank you to Rep. Judy Chu and the other leaders of this effort to protect Americans' health and freedom."

About the Women's Health Protection Act:

  • The Women's Health Protection Act is bicameral legislation. On June 8, it was introduced in the House as H.R. 3755 by Reps. Judy Chu (D-CA), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Veronica Escobar (D-TX). On June 8, the bill was also introduced in the Senate as S. 1975 by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).
  • The Women's Health Protection Act would establish the federal statutory right for health care providers to provide abortion care, and the federal statutory right for patients to receive it, free from unnecessary state bans and restrictions intended to impede or block this access.
  • The bill is landmark legislation that guarantees the right to access abortion care, free from political interference, no matter where someone lives.
  • The bill ensures that patients can access abortion care and health care providers can provide it without burdensome restrictions that single out abortion care as compared with other medical procedures with similar risk.
  • Enactment of the Women's Health Protection Act would ensure that no matter where you live, what your background, or what your zip code, you have the same constitutional rights as all other American women.
  • This critical bill is supported by a range of organizations, including National Nurses United, American Public Health Association, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, AFSCME, Catholics for Choice, Jewish Women International, United Church of Christ, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, ACLU, Moms Rising, National Women's Law Center, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, National Abortion Federation, Center for Reproductive Rights, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, Human Rights Campaign, UltraViolet, and In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda.

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