WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement on the 2nd anniversary of the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, ending protection of the constitutional right to abortion:
"Two years ago today, six radical, right-wing justices ripped away the protections of a fundamental right that millions of Americans had relied on for nearly 50 years: the constitutional right of women to choose an abortion, which was a fundamental pillar of equality, autonomy, and personal liberty.
The consequences of the Supreme Court taking away this constitutional right have been devastating. 14 states have now passed a total ban on abortion, with even more passing oppressive restrictions on abortion care. In almost all of these states, doctors risk being charged with a felony for performing their duties. In states such as Texas, a doctor could face life imprisonment for carrying out an abortion. Women are being deprived of essential medical care necessary to protect their health and save their lives. They have been turned away from emergency rooms, forced to delay treatment, and compelled to travel hundreds of miles to receive care.
In the wake of the Supreme Court striking down Dobbs, I led the charge in the House to fight back, holding the first house hearings on the threats to individual freedoms in a post-Roe world as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. As an original cosponsor of the Women's Health Protection Act, my Democratic colleagues and I passed this transformative legislation in the House to re-establish a nationwide right to abortion and enshrine the protections of Roe into law. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans refused to send the bill to President Biden's desk.
Now, with the House under Republican control, anti-abortion extremists are more determined than ever to ban abortion nationwide without exceptions, which aims to eliminate protections in states like New York, where reproductive freedom is protected. Extreme Republicans are now even putting IVF treatments at risk and refusing to codify federal protections for IVF treatment into law. Their extremism is entirely out of touch with the vast majority of Americans.
While Former President Trump continues to gloat that he "was able to kill Roe v. Wade," I'll continue to lead the fight to protect women's health, to protect access to contraception, to protect access to IVF, and to protect abortion rights nationwide."
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U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler represents New York's 12th Congressional District, which includes parts of Manhattan, and serves as the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee.
