Rep. Smith Votes to Pass Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021
September 24, 2021
“Today I was incredibly proud to vote to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act to protect the right to equal access to abortion for every person in our country, regardless of where they live. Personal decisions about a person’s body should be left between the person and their doctor – a precedent established by the Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade (1973) – period, full stop.
“However, in recent years we have seen unconstitutional and cruel state legislation that deliberately violates the rights codified in Roe that have successfully undermined or functionally eliminated access to abortion. As a result, access to both abortion care and reproductive health services have suffered. People should not have to depend on their zip code or socioeconomic status to access the full suite of reproductive health care options they are guaranteed under the Constitution. As hundreds of these aggressive, invasive, and unconstitutional laws are introduced across the country one thing is abundantly clear: urgent Congressional action is in dire need.
“Today House Democrats rose to the occasion and for the first time in nearly 30 years Congress has taken proactive action to protect every person’s right to control their own health care. Now the Senate must take up this critical legislation to prevent the evisceration of abortion access.”