Coalition of Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice Groups Respond to New Bill from Senators Kaine, Murkowski, Sinema, and Collins
For Immediate Release: Aug. 1, 2022
“The bill introduced does not address the abortion access crisis.”
WASHINGTON – A group of 15 reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations, including ACLU, Catholics for Choice, Center for Reproductive Rights, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, National Council Of Jewish Women, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Power to Decide, and URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity responded to the introduction of a new bill from Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK):
“The public health crisis is here. Immediately after the Supreme Court’s disastrous ruling, multiple states moved to ban abortion and more will follow suit. Millions of people now live in a state where they no longer possess the fundamental right to decide what they can do with their bodies and their lives. For Texans, it has been nearly a year. We know these abortion bans and the countless other medically unnecessary restrictions states have passed most harm people who already face the greatest barriers to care due to systemic racism and discrimination: people with low incomes, Black, Latina/x, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and Indigenous people, the LGBTQ+ community, young people, people with disabilities, and those living in rural communities.
The crisis today demands legislative solutions that make abortion truly accessible. We are looking to the future and the bills that get us there–bills that protect our liberty, and strike down the political interference that denies us access to abortion and treats us as less than.
Regrettably, the bill introduced does not address the abortion access crisis.
This bill claims to ‘codify’ Roe v. Wade but fails to do so. In fact, it does not expressly prohibit pre-viability abortion bans, leaving states able to continue to pass abortion bans that are denying people access to essential health care across the country. This bill has been written for a world that does not exist and would provide little solace in the nightmare we are living.
Our organizations, which are comprised of sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice leaders, including faith-based leaders, are willing to work with anyone to find a path to passing legislation to restore the right to access abortion. Given the archaic rules of the U.S. Senate, and the fact that 47 Senate Republicans called for overturning Roe, we do not see a pathway to passing the legislation that was introduced in the Senate under the current Senate rules, nor have we heard a commitment from the bill sponsors to support changing the rules to pass this legislation.
Our organizations continue to strongly support the Women’s Health Protection Act, which the Senate has twice voted on to protect the right to abortion in this country.”
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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable sexual and reproductive health care for all people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect, and without judgment, striving to create equitable access to health care. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable education and information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives. Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports the independently incorporated Planned Parenthood affiliates operating health centers across the U.S.