In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June Medical Services v. Russo, today, members of Congress call for the passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) to protect access to abortion care nationwide.

The bill’s lead sponsors—U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and U.S. Representatives Judy Chu (D-CA), Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH), and Lois Frankel (D-FL)—issued the following joint statement:

“Thankfully, today the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that was designed to close abortion clinics and deny women access to abortion, a right protected by the U.S. Constitution. With that said, the Court's decision does not undo the damage caused by decades of harmful attacks on women’s reproductive rights by Republican-led legislatures and the Trump administration.”

“Today’s decision makes clear that the Women’s Health Protection Act is more urgent and necessary than ever. By safeguarding abortion access against the draconian measures being pushed through state legislatures, the Women’s Health Protection Act assures that the right to abortion first recognized in Roe v. Wade is a reality for people in every state.”

“In the last decade alone, more than 450 laws that restrict access to abortion care have been passed—including forced ultrasounds and bans on telemedicine in abortion care. The people impacted most by restrictions on abortion access are those with lower incomes and people who already face unjust barriers to accessing health care, especially Black and brown women and their families.”

“Every person should have equal access to essential reproductive health care, no matter their ZIP code, and the freedom to make their own decisions about their health, their family, and their future. Let’s pass the Women’s Health Protection Act to make sure these rights are guaranteed in every state.”

The Women’s Health Protection Act (S. 1645/H.R. 2975) establishes a statutory right for health care providers to provide, and their patients to receive, abortion care free from medically unnecessary restrictions and bans.

U.S. Senators Blumenthal and Baldwin and U.S. Representatives Chu, Fudge, and Frankel introduced the Women’s Health Protection Act on May 23, 2019. The bill has earned the support of over 255 cosponsors, more than in any previous Congress.