House Democrats introduce Abortion Justice Act

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - House Democrats are introducing a bill to expand abortion care across the nation, one year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the abortion rights once guaranteed by Roe v Wade.

The Abortion Justice Act, led by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), promises to shield patients and providers from criminal prosecution by expanding access to abortion care. The act seeks to help people who live in states where abortion is currently banned. The bill calls for federal investments in training, research, outreach, doula care, and innovation in abortion care. It requires insurance coverage to include abortion care and it affirms a legal right to abortion and miscarriage care. The act also promises to eliminate systemic barriers to abortion care that impact Black, Latino, indigenous, and LGBTQ communities.

Pressley calls the bill ‘unapologetically aspirational.’ She recognizes the bill will likely face opposition in the Republican-led House.

“It’s incumbent on us to not only legislate, organize, mobilize when the Democrats have the gavel and are in the majority. We have to continue to build momentum, to build consensus, and it apply pressure. It’s been my experience that more often than not government does not lead but it does respond. And so we have to keep the pressure up. But, in this moment, my siblings in justice, we are leading again to just affirm that abortion care is a fundamental human right. It’s healthcare,” said Pressley.

Republicans like Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) believe the Supreme Court, made the right decision in overturning the abortion rights once guaranteed by Roe Versus Wade.

“It was a vital case, a landmark case a year ago, and it still is today. It’s one of the most important cases the Supreme Court has decided this century because it corrects a fundamentally unjust decision, the Roe decision, which subjected the innocent unborn to not just a danger, but a life ending intervention in a way that’s totally unsanctioned by our Constitution,” said Hawley.

Last June, the Supreme Court allowed states to decide abortion rights in the Dobbs versus Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling. According to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks reproductive health policy, 13 states have banned abortion.

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