Skip to main content
Statement

Senate Republicans Failed America’s Moms, Women and Families Today; Women’s Health Protection Act is Legislation We Urgently Need

May 11, 2022
Reproductive Justice

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement of leaders of MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the defeat of legislation to protect women’s right to choose abortion care in the U.S. Senate:

“Today’s U.S. Senate vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) is a bitter disappointment and a painful reminder of how badly out of touch Senate Republicans are with their constituents and their country.

“With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to strip away our right to privacy and with it, women’s autonomy and ability to be free and equal members of society, America’s moms, women and families are counting on Congress to protect our fundamental right to choose if, when, and how many children to have. The House of Representatives passed WHPA in its entirety but today Republicans and one Democrat defeated even a modified version of it in the U.S. Senate. This is tyranny of the minority, a failure of democracy, and a denial of our essential rights and freedoms. It puts the health, lives, and economic security of America’s moms and women at grave risk.

“The majority of people who seek abortion care are moms, and our lives will change in fundamental, truly appalling ways if lawmakers are allowed to make our most personal health decisions. Low-income women, women of color, young and immigrant women, and those who are LGBTQ+ will surely suffer the most. At some point, if we have a hostile Congress and President, every woman in America will lose the fundamental right to abortion. That would be devastating.”

-Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising

“Abortion is legal today but unless Congress acts, that seems likely to change. The Supreme Court could imperil not just our fundamental right to abortion care but also our right to access birth control. The same people who support abortion bans have long opposed free birth control, improved maternal health care, paid family/medical leave, affordable childcare, and more. And we fear that the Supreme Court will reverse other fundamental rights, including marriage equality, LGBTQ rights, and more.

“It is more important than ever that Congress protect our fundamental rights and freedoms.”

-Statement of Diarra Aida Diouf, Campaign Director, Maternal Justice, Reproductive Justice and Youth Justice, MomsRising

# # # #

MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.