Schakowsky Statement on Passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act
WASHINGTON - Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee, voted for sweeping legislation to protect the reproductive rights of all Americans, responding to the rogue, stolen, Supreme Court's overturning of Roe vs. Wade. The Women's Health Protection Act will enshrine the protections of Roe and restore the nationwide right to an abortion, securing Americans' control over their own reproductive decisions and bodily autonomy. The Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act will ensure Americans retain the fundamental and Constitutional right to travel between states in order to access reproductive care.
On the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives this morning, the Congresswoman responded to the Court and the Republicans' extremist bans on receiving, providing, or aiding an abortion:
"I lived the days before abortion was safe and legal. I remember the desperation of women—some of them my friends—who had to make dangerous decisions about how they were going to be able to exercise control over their own bodies. Some women died because they sought these dangerous methods to end a pregnancy. Let's be clear. Roe was not the beginning of people having abortions; it was the end of women dying from abortions. And when Roe became the law of the land, women were able—finally—to control their own bodies. Abortion is health care."
These bills passed in the House today ensure that all Americans retain their rights to bodily autonomy and essential health care—no matter the state in which they reside. As the Congresswoman declared:
"These bills are about freedom. And one of the most precious freedoms that we have is the freedom to travel from state to state. Enough is enough. In the United States of America, the right to travel is sacred. It is protected under the Commerce Clause. We will not go back. Women will not go back."
The legislation now moves to the Senate for its consideration.
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