May 11, 2022

Duckworth on Republicans Blocking Legislation to Protect Women’s Constitutional Rights to Choose

 

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today issued the following statement after Senate Republicans once again blocked the House-passed Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), which would help protect women’s constitutional right to choose, from moving forward in the Senate:

“As states and courthouses across the country systematically undermine women’s autonomy over their own bodies—and with the Supreme Court appearing ready to overturn Roe—it is utterly appalling that Senate Republicans, once again, blocked critical legislation to help protect Americans’ constitutional right to access reproductive care. Shame on them.

“By failing to advance the Women’s Health Protection Act, Senate Republicans are putting millions of women, especially low-income women and women of color, at risk of losing access to the healthcare they need when they need it.

“The situation is particularly dire right now because we’re seeing the potential for a small group far-right Justices to strip away protected constitutional rights that millions of American families, including my own, have relied on for almost 50 years—and that 70% of Americans believe should be legal.

“I refuse to let my daughters grow up in a world with fewer rights than I had, and I won’t stop working to codify Roe v. Wade into law and ensure reproductive freedoms are protected for all women—regardless of their skin color, income or zip code.”

Duckworth has made protecting and expanding access to essential women’s healthcare a top priority. She spoke out on the Senate floor in support of Americans’ reproductive rights and issued a statement after the leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court showed that a small group of far-right Justices could overturn Roe v. Wade in the coming weeks. Last year, she helped introduce WHPA and was outraged when Republicans blocked this critical legislation earlier this year. Additionally, Duckworth is the lead sponsor of the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Healthcare (EACH) Act, which would end the Hyde Amendment and lift unjust abortion coverage restrictions for those who depend on Medicaid and other government-sponsored plans.

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