Senator Murray Announces HELP Hearing On Abortion and Reproductive Health Care Post-Roe

HELP Committee will hold July 13^th hearing on abortion and reproductive health care following Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe and end the right to an abortion

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, announced she will hold a HELP Committee hearing on July 13^th on the impact of the Dobbs decision on access to abortion and other reproductive services, including the effect restrictions will have on maternal mortality and health care in the United States. The hearing announcement comes on the heels of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade, a move that ripped away the right to abortion, and which Republicans have quickly followed with calls for a national abortion ban.

“I am not going to stand idly by while Republicans rip away abortion rights, drag this country back by half a century, and gear up for a national abortion ban. I’m pushing the Biden administration for action to protect reproductive rights, holding every single Republican accountable for their work to rip away abortion rights from women across the country, and I will use my gavel as Chair of the Health Committee to shed light on the devastating harm this Supreme Court decision will have on women’s health in this country,” said Senator Murray.

“Make no mistake: this decision will cause health care crises that cross state lines—including into my home state of Washington.  So my Committee will not sit on the sidelines: I will chair a hearing to make crystal clear how this decision will harm patients, providers, and communities across the country—and what is at stake in November, with Republicans already eyeing a national abortion ban.”

Senator Murray has long been a leader in Congress in the fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care and abortion rights. Since the Supreme Court agreed to hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Senator Murray has vowed to fight back and protect Roe v. Wade and everyone’s reproductive rights—including by building support and fighting to hold a vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would protect the right to abortion nationwide.

Since the leaked draft revealed the Supreme Court was planning to overturn Roe, Senator Murray has been a leader in the Senate pushing back: immediately calling the decision a “five alarm fire,” pushing for a vote on WHPA so every Republican Senator was forced to show the American public where they stood, and leading her colleagues in the fight to protect everyone’s reproductive rights. Senator Murray has led her colleagues in urging the Biden administration to craft an all-of-government plan to protect abortion rights. She called out data brokers’ collection and sale of sensitive location data that could put those seeking abortion care at risk—and introduced legislation to ban the practice outright. She introduced legislation condemning the criminalization of the full range of reproductive and sexual health care. Senator Murray also introduced legislation to expand access to affordable, over-the-counter birth control—and has led efforts in Congress to ensure patients can get the birth control they need without being forced to jump through unnecessary hoops or pay out-of-pocket.

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