Rep. Stansbury Votes to Protect Reproductive Rights, House Passes Bill Cosponsored by the Congresswoman
U.S. House of Representatives passes the Women’s Health Protection Act, cosponsored by Stansbury and 213 members of the House, critical to protecting reproductive health care access across the U.S.
WASHINGTON — As states across the country are passing increasingly restrictive laws that limit reproductive rights and access to women’s healthcare, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) voted today to pass H.R. 3755, the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would provide federal protection for health care providers providing abortion services. Congresswoman Stansbury is a cosponsor of the bill alongside 213 members of the House of Representatives.
The Women’s Health Protection Act affirms that reproductive justice is a human right and a Constitutional right, that protects the rights of individuals to make their own decisions without interference and discrimination and that access to abortion services constitutes essential health care. The bill provides federal protection for healthcare providers to provide these services free from medically unnecessary restrictions that interfere with a patient’s individual choice or the provider-patient relationship.
“Reproductive justice is a human rights and a social justice issue. The ability of individuals to make decisions about their own bodies and access health care is fundamental to their self-determination and well-being. I am proud to cosponsor the Women’s Health Protection Act and was proud to vote to pass it out of the House today,” said Congresswoman Stansbury. “Across the country we are seeing increasing attacks on our bodies, our autonomy, and our health care systems. In New Mexico, we’re already feeling the effects of Texas’s unconstitutional abortion ban, as increasing numbers of individuals are seeking care in our state. We must act at a national level to ensure that essential reproductive health care services can be made available in all communities and that individuals and health care providers cannot be criminalized for exercising their rights.”
The House passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act comes as states have passed 90 laws to restrict abortion access in 2021, more than in any year since the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, and as the Supreme Court has allowed a Texas law to take effect that bans abortions after six weeks. New Mexico is one of a handful of states that has taken proactive action this year to protect reproductive rights, passing Senate Bill 10 earlier this year, repealing an unconstitutional and dormant abortion ban that had been in statute since 1969. Stansbury was proud to vote to repeal the ban in the State House earlier this year, prior to her election as U.S. Representative.
Congresswoman Stansbury also joined a congressional amicus brief led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the Pro-Choice Caucus to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case that the Supreme Court is set to hear as a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. The amicus brief supports the Jackson Women’s Health Organization and urges the Court to uphold the longstanding constitutional precedent set by Roe v. Wade and reinforced by Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The bill now heads to the Senate.
The full text of The Women’s Health Protection Act (H.R. 3755) can be found here.