Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) introduced the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation to enshrine Roe v. Wade in federal law and restore the right to comprehensive reproductive health care for millions of Americans. Specifically, this bill creates federal rights to abortion care for patients and providers and protects against medically unnecessary restrictions that undermine Americans’ access to health care and intrude upon personal decision-making.
“I stand with the majority of Nevadans and Americans who are pro-choice, and I will never stop fighting to ensure women can make their own health care decisions,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Women’s rights have come under attack since the fall of Roe v. Wade, and it is crucial that we act now to protect reproductive freedom for women across the country.”
“After the Supreme Court took away women’s rights to make decisions about their own bodies, Republicans in Washington introduced a nationwide abortion ban that would even restrict reproductive rights in my state of Nevada,” said Senator Rosen. “I’ll always stand up for a woman’s right to choose and fight back against attacks on reproductive freedoms. That’s why I’m helping introduce the Women’s Health Protection Act to enshrine Roe v. Wade in federal law, protect reproductive rights, and eliminate medically-unnecessary restrictions that make it harder for women to access care.”
The Women’s Health Protection Act’s introduction follows the Supreme Court’s misguided decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which repealed Roe v. Wade. This decision has stripped access to abortion care for millions of Americans and denied individuals the freedom to make their own health care decisions. Since the Dobbs decision, 14 states have already implemented near-total abortion bans, leaving one in three American women without access to safe, legal abortion care. Additionally, state legislatures across the country have introduced hundreds of bills to restrict access to abortion care.
A full list of co-sponsors and a copy of the bill text is available HERE and a one-pager is available HERE.
Senator Cortez Masto and Senator Rosen have been fierce advocates for women’s reproductive rights. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Senator Cortez Masto introduced the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act of 2022, legislation co-sponsored by Senator Rosen that would ensure legal protections for women traveling across state lines to receive reproductive care. She has urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to protect the data privacy of women seeking reproductive health care and along with Senator Rosen joined colleagues in introducing the Affordability is Access Act, which would make sure women across the country have access to affordable over-the-counter birth control. Last Congress, Senator Rosen helped introduce the Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act, legislation co-sponsored by Senator Cortez Masto which ensures that providers in states where abortion remains legal are protected from any efforts to restrict their practice or create uncertainty about their legal liability.
Last week, Cortez Masto called on Walgreens to recognize state laws and proceed with plans to dispense the abortion pill after the company announced it would not do so in some states where abortion remains legal. Earlier today, Senator Rosen joined eleven colleagues in sending a letter to Walgreens CEO Rosalind Brewer to express strong opposition to Walgreens’ premature decision to publicly declare its intent to avoid dispensing FDA-approved abortion medication in certain states.
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