Washington, DC– As the Supreme Court takes up oral arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson case threatening Roe v. Wade, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) released the following statement. Strickland delivered remarks on the House floor today calling for urgent action to protect reproductive health rights. In September, Strickland joined a bicameral amicus brief in the case and joined the House in passing the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill to protect reproductive health rights and access, which is awaiting Senate action. (Watch Strickland’s remarks here.)
“This is a pivotal moment for the Supreme Court to show that it decides cases based on precedent and rule of law, not politics or ideology. With abortion rights and access on the line like never before, the Senate must join the House in passing the Women’s Health Protection Act. With this bill, we can put an end to alarming state-based attacks on reproductive freedom in Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, and across the country.” said Strickland. “During a global pandemic and a maternal mortality crisis, the people who are hurt the most by limiting abortion restrictions are those who already experience health inequities in the first place —including people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and many other vulnerable communities.”
Congresswoman Strickland’s full remarks are transcribed below.
Today, the Supreme Court is hearing one of the most important abortion rights cases in generations. The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, marks the first time in 50 years the Court agreed to hear a case on the constitutionality of a pre-viability abortion ban.
In other words, the State of Mississippi has asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Let me be clear – reproductive health access is a fundamental right. This is about supporting body autonomy and wellbeing, and it’s also about economic justice and social freedom.
The people hurt most by abortion restrictions and bans are those who already face barriers to getting access to health care in the first place —women, people of color, those working to make ends meet, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, immigrants, young people, those in rural communities, people with disabilities and others.
We can look to Texas as a real-time example. Texas banned almost all abortion in the state, forcing people to travel across state lines to receive care.
Now is the time for the Supreme Court to show that it decides cases based on precedent and rule of law, not politics, not ideology.
Every person should be free to make the best health care decisions. We must make abortion access equitable for all people —regardless of who they are or where they live.
Congresswoman Strickland is a strong advocate for reproductive rights in Congress, the New Member Liaison in the Pro-Choice Caucus and a member of the Black Maternal Health Caucus. In November, Strickland led a letter encouraging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reduce barriers to continuous access to birth control by requiring insurance companies to cover, without cost-sharing, a 12-month supply of birth control. In April, Strickland co-led the introduction of the Access to Contraception for Servicemembers and Dependents Act, legislation to ensure military families receive the quality reproductive health care they deserve. In April, Strickland also led Pro-Choice Caucus members on a letter to advance and protect reproductive health rights in the US and across the globe. In March, Strickland co-led the introduction of the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act, legislation to repeal the Helms Amendment and advance reproductive and economic freedom and equity worldwide. A member of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, Strickland is an original cosponsor of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 and the Healthy MOM Act, legislation which comprehensively addresses the maternal health crisis in America.
Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland serves as Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and is the only African-American woman who serves on the House Armed Services Committee. She is one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress and the first African-American to represent the Pacific Northwest at the federal level.
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