Exactly three weeks after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the United States House of Representatives passed two radical abortion bills on the same day.
Every Republican member of Congress voted against the Women’s Health Protection Act, as well as a single Democrat — Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, who similarly voted against the legislation when it was brought to a vote in September. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it will almost certainly fail due to Republican and moderate Democratic opposition.
The house also passed the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act which prohibits any restrictions blocking out-of-state travel to obtain abortions. Three Republicans voted for the legislation, which now heads to the senate.
“Democrats are once again doubling down on their efforts to nationally enshrine abortion at the expense of democratically passed state laws, our Constitutional order, and the natural, pre-political right to one’s own life,” Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy told The Daily Wire on Friday.
Roy warned that this “aggressive action” is intended to “appease the most radical, profit-driven elements of the abortion industry.”
“It only strengthens the argument for federal action to protect this fundamental right for our unborn fellow Americans,” he added.
223-205: House passes abortion access legislation prohibiting restrictions blocking out of state travel to obtain an abortion in response to Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.3 Republicans joined all Democrats in voting Yes.Ensuring Access to Abortion Act now heads to Senate. pic.twitter.com/a3nAuTLnvp
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) July 15, 2022
The Women’s Health Protection Act effectively codifies Roe, banning most government restrictions on abortion, specifically noting that the government may not limit an abortionist’s ability to prescribe abortion drugs or offer “abortion services via telemedicine.”
The bill also bans the government from requiring abortionists to “perform unnecessary medical procedures,” which could be interpreted as banning ultrasounds prior to an abortion, or “provide medically inaccurate information,” possibly banning telling the mother that her baby can be saved through an abortion reversal pill if she regrets her decision.
Experts on the pro-life side of the spectrum have warned that it is an extreme piece of legislation “more radical than Roe.”
“If enacted, the Women’s Health Protection Act would endanger essentially all state-level abortion restrictions, existing state and federal conscience protection laws, and various provisions limiting taxpayer funding for abortions,” Heritage Foundation policy analyst Melanie Israel warned earlier this year.
We're already seeing the horrific consequences of the Republican's extreme agenda to criminalize women’s health freedom.
@HouseDemocrats are fighting back this week with two strong bills to defend women's reproductive rights.— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 15, 2022
“This legislation will prevent the GOP from criminalizing, fining, or suing women who exercise their Constitutionally protected right to travel across state lines to obtain an abortion,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said of the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act. “A woman’s health decisions are her own to make, not to be dictated by far-right politicians. House Democrats will continue fighting ferociously to defend Americans’ fundamental freedoms and ensure the central holdings of Roe v. Wade become the law of the land.”
The 6-3 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization followed the early May leak of a draft opinion indicating which way the justices would likely rule. That leak prompted protests across the nation, particularly in Washington, D.C., as well as dozens of attacks and vandalism of pro-life organizations, centers, and churches.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote that Roe and a subsequent case, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld Roe, both must be overturned, and the right to allow, deny, or restrict the right to an abortion must reside with states.
The decision leaves it to states to impose restrictions on abortion. Several are expected to move closer to outright bans, while liberal states are expected to retain or even expand protections for abortion.