West Palm Beach, FL – Today, Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22) released the following statement recognizing the anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. Today would have marked 51 years of reproductive freedom nationwide, if not for the Republican-controlled Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision of 2022, which overturned Roe and undermined decades of protection for abortion care.

“Today should be a celebration of reproductive freedom. Instead, because Roe v. Wade has been undone, women are perilously losing health care, doctors live in fear of being prosecuted, and Republicans are racing full steam ahead toward a nationwide abortion ban,” said Rep. Frankel. “Americans overwhelmingly agree that women—not politicians—should have the freedom to determine whether or when to start or grow a family. Democrats are united in the fight to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act and protect abortion access across the country.”

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe, 14 states have passed outright abortion bans, with many others since enacting or considering legislation that would severely limit abortion access.

Floridians recently provided enough signatures to place a proposed amendment enshrining abortion access in Florida on the 2024 ballot, however, the amendment still must be approved by the Florida Supreme Court.

Last Congress, Rep. Frankel co-led the introduction of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would establish a federal statutory right for health care providers to provide abortion care and a corresponding right for their patients to receive that care—free from bans and restrictions that impede access. The bill passed the House twice under the Democratic majority but failed to receive the 60 votes in the Senate needed to overcome the filibuster. Rep. Frankel once again co-lead the introduction of the bill in 2023, but the Republican-controlled House has not brought it to the floor for a vote.

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