As Clinics Relocate to N.M., Rep. Stansbury Votes to Protect the Right to Travel for Abortion Services

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) voted to pass the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act–a bill she cosponsors—to safeguard the right of pregnant people across the nation to access legal, safe abortion care following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, undermining decades of legal precedent.   

Since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion clinics based in Texas and Mississippi–where trigger laws banning abortion have or will soon take effect–have announced they are relocating to New Mexico. The Ensuring Access to Abortion Act prohibits any person acting under state law, including private parties, from preventing travel or punishing Americans traveling for reproductive health care, which is protected by the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. 

“In the wake of the Supreme Court’s devastating decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which undermines decades of legal precedent, I voted today to protect the ability of individuals to access safe and legal care,” said Rep. Stansbury. “This bill helps to protect access to reproductive care by protecting the ability of individuals to travel across state lines to receive safe and accessible care in places like New Mexico, where care is still available. We know this measure is not enough, which is why we are also fighting for the Senate to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which we passed in the House in September to codify access to reproductive health care into law.” 

In 2021, Rep. Stansbury was part of the majority in the New Mexico State Legislature that voted to pass legislation to repeal an antiquated abortion ban from the books, protecting access to reproductive health care for New Mexicans and communities across the region.