VIDEO: AHEAD OF ROE V. WADE ANNIVERSARY, ROSEN HIGHLIGHTS EFFECTS OF ANTI-CHOICE ATTACKS ON WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE CARE

On January 17, 2024

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, during a Senate briefing on the state of abortion rights in the United States, Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) highlighted the effects of the ongoing anti-choice attacks on women’s access to reproductive care following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Senator Rosen questioned Dr. Austin Dennard, a doctor from Texas who has been personally and professionally impacted by abortion restrictions; Dr. Serina Floyd, Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC; and Jessica Valenti, author and founder of a daily reproductive rights newsletter. The panel discussed how abortion bans are putting a burden on women who need to access reproductive care, and the effects these bans have on doctors who face prosecution.

Senator Rosen continues fighting back against efforts to restrict access to reproductive rights. Senator Rosen helped introduce the Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act to protect doctors and other health care professionals from being prosecuted for providing reproductive care to their patients. Senator Rosen also helped introduce the Women’s Health Protection Act to protect reproductive freedoms in federal law.

Below is an excerpt of Senator Rosen’s remarks:

I want to thank all of you for being here. As a woman, these are very personal moments and to come here, on camera, in front of everyone to be out there and do these things – it’s important; it takes courage; it’s not without risk and I appreciate it.   

And for everyone who helped put this together, beside Senator Murray as well. 

Next week would have been the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, which protected a woman’s right, of course, to make her own health care decisions.

But sadly almost two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court took away that right and opened the floodgates of anti-choice attacks on reproductive freedoms.

As a result, we’ve all heard the gut-wrenching stories; we’re hearing yours today. 

But what about the little girls who were raped and couldn’t get an abortion? 

[What about the] women who were miscarrying, but couldn’t access the care they needed?

And [what about the] doctors being sued or prosecuted simply for doing their job and providing lifesaving care?

And we know anti-choice, extreme politicians will not stop until they have passed a nationwide abortion ban, which would even ban abortion in pro-choice states like my state of Nevada. 

That’s why I’ve been fighting here in the Senate to defend womens’ rights to make their own medical decisions — free from the interference of politicians. 

I helped introduce the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act to protect women’s right to travel across state lines and get the reproductive care they need, care that is critical and often lifesaving.

And that’s what I’m going to ask all of you about today.

This piece was republished from Jacky Rosen U.S. Senate.