Experts On Maryland Reproductive Healthcare Meet With U.S. Health And Human Services Secretary And Lawmakers; Call For Action To Ensure Abortion Access

A Media Advisory from Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC; Planned Parenthood of Maryland; Pro-Choice Maryland; and the Women's Law Center of Maryland, Inc.
 

On Friday, July 22,  Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC (PPMW), the Women's Law Center of Maryland, Pro-Choice Maryland, Planned Parenthood of Maryland, and other reproductive healthcare, rights, and justice organizations participated in a “Reproductive Rights Roundtable” with Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Maryland U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, and Congressmember David Trone (MD 6). The discussion focused on the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision overturning Roe v. Wade, President Biden’s subsequent Executive Order to protect access to reproductive health care services, and how this affects Maryland, patients traveling to our region for care, and how to create a safe haven and strengthen access to abortion in Maryland.

Our sincerest gratitude to Secretary Becerra and the lawmakers for convening this roundtable, listening to our stories, and recognizing how this moment is affecting providers, patients, and those working in the reproductive health care field. While we are willing and eager to support the administration and HHS in their efforts, bold and decisive action by the federal government and the administration is continuously needed to protect and expand access to abortion for people across the country.

This is a public health emergency. The reproductive rights clock has been set back 50 years. We must consistently work together to address this issue and come up with concrete solutions that will protect and safeguard access to abortion care throughout the country. 

We applaud the subsequent August 3rd Executive Order and continue to call upon the administration and elected leadership to:

• Use all their tools and resources to find creative solutions to this public health emergency crisis
• Build upon and enforce the existing executive orders to further protect and assist people in accessing abortion care throughout the country 
• Ensure that every federal resource is being utilized and that funds are provided to ensure access to abortion and protect patients and the providers who serve them

Health centers across this region are already seeing an increase in patients calling from other states seeking abortion care. President Biden, his administration, and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) must be creative and keep all options on the table in finding ways to tackle this public health issue and ensure that there is access to abortion care for all people across the United States.