Women’s Health Protection Act Introduced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
CONTACT:
Melissa Fowler
202.667.5881; 202.595.4395 (after hours/cell)
mfowler@prochoice.org
Statement of Vicki Saporta, President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation (NAF):
Today, Senators Blumenthal, Boxer, and Baldwin, joined by Representatives Chu, Frankel, and Fudge, introduced the Women’s Health Protection Act. This important bill would prohibit states from passing medically-unnecessary regulations that single out abortion providers, thus ensuring women across the country have access to the abortion care they need no matter where they live.
Although abortion is legal and constitutionally protected, sadly, today, a woman’s access to care depends largely on what state she lives in. Since 2011, we have seen an unprecedented number of medically-unnecessary, politically-motivated restrictions aimed at reducing women’s access to abortion care being introduced and enacted in the states. This patchwork of state laws and burdensome regulations has made it so a woman’s ability to access abortion care now largely depends on her zip code.
There is no medical justification for imposing these types of regulations on abortion providers. Abortion is one of the safest and most commonly provided medical procedures in the United States.
Due to the excessive targeting of abortion providers in the states, the time has come for a federal law that would prohibit these restrictions, thus allowing abortion providers to do the important work of providing safe, legal, high-quality health care to women throughout the country. We cannot continue to allow politicians and anti-choice extremists to interfere with women’s private medical decisions.
NAF commends the sponsors and co-sponsors of the Women’s Health Protection Act and urges others in Congress to support this important legislation.
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The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is the professional association of abortion providers in North America. Our mission is to ensure safe, legal, and accessible abortion care, which promotes health and justice for women. Our members include private and non-profit clinics, Planned Parenthood affiliates, women’s health centers, physicians’ offices, and hospitals who together care for more than half the women who choose abortion in the U.S. and Canada each year. Our members also include public hospitals and both public and private clinics in Mexico City.