{"id":3193,"date":"2025-06-24T16:27:04","modified":"2025-06-24T16:27:55","slug":"on-3rd-anniversary-of-dobbs-decision-overturning-roe-fetterman-senate-democrats-work-to-restore-abortion-access-nationwide","link":"https:\/\/www.fetterman.senate.gov\/on-3rd-anniversary-of-dobbs-decision-overturning-roe-fetterman-senate-democrats-work-to-restore-abortion-access-nationwide\/","title":{"rendered":"On 3rd\u00a0Anniversary of\u00a0Dobbs\u00a0Decision Overturning\u00a0Roe, Fetterman, Senate Democrats Work to Restore Abortion Access Nationwide"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\u201cA woman\u2019s right to make her own health care decisions is sacred and non-negotiable.\u00a0<\/em>Period.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n\n

Washington, D.C.\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Today, on the third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning\u00a0Roe v. Wade<\/em>, U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) joined the entire Senate Democratic caucus in introducing the\u00a0Women\u2019s Health Protection Act of 2025<\/em>, legislation to guarantee access to abortion across the country and to restore the right to comprehensive reproductive health care for millions of Americans.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cA woman\u2019s right to make her own health care decisions is sacred and non-negotiable.\u00a0Period. In the years since\u00a0Roe<\/em>\u00a0was overturned, we\u2019ve seen the terrifying reality of abortion bans,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Fetterman.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThese laws have cost lives and caused unnecessary suffering for so many families. We must restore abortion access nationwide, and I\u2019m proud to join my colleagues to introduce this bill that would do just that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Three years ago, the Republican-appointed Supreme Court majority released their decision in\u00a0Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization<\/em>, overturning nearly 50 years of precedent and giving state legislatures a green light to strip reproductive rights away from millions of Americans. Today, President Trump and Congressional Republicans continue to make it more difficult to access reproductive health care across the nation. Even in states like Pennsylvania, where abortion is still legal, a nationwide abortion ban, or the Republican reconciliation bill that guts Planned Parenthood funding, would have devastating impacts for women trying to access the safe, reliable health care they need.<\/p>\n\n

The\u00a0Women\u2019s Health Protection Act<\/em>\u00a0creates federal rights for patients and providers to protect abortion access. Specifically, the\u00a0Women\u2019s Health Protection Act<\/em>\u00a0would:<\/p>\n\n

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  • Prohibit states from imposing restrictions that jeopardize access to abortion earlier in pregnancy, including many of the state-level restrictions in place prior to Dobbs, such as arbitrary waiting periods, medically unnecessary mandatory ultrasounds, or requirements to provide medically inaccurate information.<\/li>\n\n
  • Ensure that later in pregnancy, states cannot limit access to abortion if it would jeopardize the life or health of the mother.<\/li>\n\n
  • Protect the ability to travel out of state for an abortion, which has become increasingly common in recent years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n\n

    Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Patty Murray (D-WA) led introduction of the\u00a0Women\u2019s Health Protection Act<\/em>. In addition to Senator Fetterman, the legislation is sponsored by the entire Democratic caucus, including Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D- DE) Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).<\/p>\n\n

    \u201cFirst, Donald Trump and Republicans overturned\u00a0Roe v Wade<\/em>. Now, they are continuing their crusade for a national abortion ban, stripping away a woman\u2019s right to choose and control her body, healthcare, and future. Republicans continue to show that they will stop at nothing in their pursuit to stop a woman from having the right to choose,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Baldwin.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cIn Wisconsin, we\u2019ve seen how these attacks on women\u2019s reproductive rights and freedoms have hurt our neighbors, friends, and families \u2013 and we won\u2019t stand for it. The\u00a0Women\u2019s Health Protection Act<\/em>\u00a0is a necessary step to restore Americans\u2019 constitutional right to choose what\u2019s best for their families, stop Congressional and state-level Republicans from further putting themselves between a doctor and a woman, and once and for all, give women their rights and freedoms back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

    \u201cThis issue is about more than health care; it is about women\u2019s rights, individual rights, and human rights. The foundation of the\u00a0Women\u2019s Health Protection Act<\/em>\u00a0is simply the right to make your own health care decisions. Three years after\u00a0Dobbs<\/em>, American women don\u2019t have that right. Today, thanks to Republican lawmakers and conservative courts, a woman in America might walk into an ER and faint, bleeding, and be refused treatment. That woman might die,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Blumenthal.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cBy restoring abortion access and implementing basic protections against medically unnecessary restrictions on health care, the\u00a0Women\u2019s Health Protection Act<\/em>\u00a0overturns the death sentence handed down by\u00a0Dobbs<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

    \u201cThree years ago, Donald Trump and Republicans succeeded in overturning\u00a0Roe<\/em>, ripping away a Constitutional right for the first time in American history, and causing a full-blown health care crisis in our nation. Since then, we have seen with painful clarity how Republican abortion bans are putting women\u2019s lives in danger, forcing providers to close their doors, decimating access to maternal health care, and forcing women to remain pregnant\u2014no matter their circumstances,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Murray.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cI\u2019m proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing the\u00a0Women\u2019s Health Protection Act\u00a0<\/em>to restore the right to abortion and end the national nightmare Republicans created by overturningRoe<\/em>. Democrats will never stop fighting to restore abortion access nationwide\u2014nothing less.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

    The full text of the bill is available\u00a0here<\/a>. A one-pager on the bill is available\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false}}