Congress To Hold Two Hearings On Threats to Abortion Access This Week

WASHINGTON, DC — With Texas’s abortion ban in effect for nearly one full month, and state-based attacks on abortion continuing across the country, this week Congress will hold two hearings on the ongoing threats to abortion access.  

Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will host a hearing on Texas’s unconstitutional abortion ban and the role of the Supreme Court’s shadow docket, and on Thursday, the House Oversight Committee will host a hearing to examine “the urgent need to protect and expand abortion rights and access.” Witnesses for the Senate Judiciary hearing include Texas State Representative Donna Howard; Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center; and Professor Steve Vladeck from University of Texas School of Law. 

At the House Oversight Hearing on Thursday, September 30, there will be a member panel with Reps. Cori Bush (D-MO-1), Judy Chu (D-CA-27), Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), some of whom will share their personal abortion stories. The second panel will include Maleeha Aziz from the Texas Equal Access Fund; Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi, a Texas-based practicing ob-gyn and board member of Physicians for Reproductive Health; and Melissa Murray, professor at New York School of Law, Loretta Ross, Co-Founder of the Reproductive Justice Movement, and feminist and social activist Gloria Steinem. 

Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, president, Planned Parenthood Federation of America: 

“With unprecedented attacks on sexual and reproductive health in state legislatures across the country, we need our leaders in the federal government to understand and ease the devastating consequences abortion restrictions are having on patients’ health and constitutional rights. Abortion bans and restrictions disproportionately harm people with low incomes, people of color, rural communities, and the LGBTQ+ community. This week’s hearings in the House and Senate should provide a valuable window into the chaos people are facing on the ground and what Congress can do to protect and expand abortion access. I’m grateful to all the witnesses, including the members of Congress, who will share their experiences as patients, providers, advocates, and scholars. 

“I thank Chairman Durbin and Chairwoman Maloney for prioritizing the need to protect and expand access to abortion, and for their leadership and commitment to championing reproductive rights. Congress must continue to take action and ensure that reproductive freedom is universal, regardless of your income level or ZIP code.” 

Last week, in a historic vote, the House of Representatives passed the Women’s Health Protection Act, which helps to protect the right to abortion throughout the United States by guarding against abortion bans and other medically unnecessary abortion restrictions being advanced and enacted by state politicians across the 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.