Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21) released the following statement as the Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case that will provide a major test for whether the U.S. Supreme Court will continue to uphold 50 years of precedent defending the constitutional right to abortion.

“Everyone deserves the freedom to make personal decisions about their bodies without politicians trying to control them” said Rep. Frankel. “The Mississippi case before the Supreme Court today poses the most direct threat to Roe v. Wade in decades and jeopardizes access to abortion across the country. The personal decision of whether and when to become a parent should be in the hands of people, not politicians. And, regardless of the Court’s action, this is a clarion call for the Senate to follow the House’s lead and pass the Women’s Health Protection Act.”

The State of Mississippi explicitly, and repeatedly, asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and rule there is no right to abortion in the United States in its opening brief. If upheld, this law would enable states across the country to ban abortion care, even though the Supreme Court ruled in favor of upholding Roe as recently as 2020 in June Medical Services v Russo. A final decision is not expected until at least the spring of 2022.

In September, the House passed the Women’s Health Protection Act to push back on dangerous state laws such as this one. This bill would prohibit states from enacting medically unnecessary restrictions that unfairly target abortion providers and prevent patients from getting the care they need.

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