Skip to main content
Statement

U.S. Senate Let Country Down by Failing to Pass Women’s Health Protection Act, as Republican Opposition Sinks Legislation the Country Wants and Urgently Needs

February 28, 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 U.S. Senate’s failure to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act:

“As we mark six months since Texas’ draconian, devastating six-week abortion ban took effect, the U.S. Senate let the country down by failing to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), which would mitigate the harm to moms and families from this and other state anti-abortion laws. We thank the U.S. Senators who supported and advanced the vote. We urgently need a federal law that protects the right to abortion in every state. The House of Representatives recognized that when it passed the WHPA in September; it would protect women’s health and rights, dignity and autonomy by securing access to abortion care for everyone in this country, no matter where they live. Its enactment is especially important for low-income women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, and other vulnerable communities. Yet unified opposition from Senate Republicans killed the bill today, denying the country a law that would have advanced social and economic equality and reproductive autonomy, and given us all the right to shape our own reproductive futures."

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

“Most people who have abortions in this country are moms. We must be able to determine if, when and how many children to have, and to make the deeply personal decisions about abortion care without interference from politicians or the public. With more states adopting laws that deny our access to reproductive health care and the courts failing to protect our health and our rights, America’s moms will continue demanding that Congress pass the Women’s Health Protection Act.”

-Statement of Diarra Aida Diouf, Campaign Director for Maternal Justice, Reproductive Justice, & 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.