Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a groundbreaking piece of proactive, pro-choice legislation: the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would create much-needed federal protections against state-level restrictions on reproductive rights.
Physicians for Reproductive Health submitted written testimony from board chair Dr. Nancy Stanwood (left) in support of the Act. From her testimony:
“Every woman has her own unique circumstances and must be able to make personal medical decisions, including the decision to have an abortion, without political interference.… As physicians, we work every day to make sure our patients receive the high-quality health care they need in a safe, respectful environment. We need the Women’s Health Protection Act to ensure that all women have access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion, regardless of where they live. It is critical to the lives and health of our patients that this bill passes.”
Read the entire testimony here.
In addition, our board member Dr. Willie Parker (pictured at right, with Center for Reproductive Rights president and CEO Nancy Northup, who also testified) testified on behalf of the women he serves in Mississippi, where there now is only one clinic at which women can access safe, legal abortion care. Speaking about his work, Dr. Parker testified:
“I want for women what I want for myself: a life of dignity, health, self-determination, and the opportunity to excel and contribute. We know that when women have access to abortion, contraception, and medically accurate sex education, they thrive. It should be the same for all women, no matter where they live.”
Read his testimony here.