Larsen votes to protect reproductive health care rights for women, ensure safe access to abortion care

||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN |||

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) supported two critical bills to protect the right to choose nationwide and ensure people can safely travel to states like Washington to access abortion care in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

“The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade was wrong, but we are not powerless to fight back,” said Larsen. “The Senate must suspend the filibuster to explicitly safeguard the right to an abortion and ensure people can safely travel to a state like Washington to access safe and affordable abortion care.

“I will continue to stand with women and advocates across the country to ensure the right to access reproductive health care to every person that needs it.”

The Women’s Health Protection Act ensures health care providers have a statutory right to provide abortion care and patients have a statutory right to receive care, free from state bans and restrictions intended to impede or block access.

The Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act ensures no person under state law can prevent, restrict, impede or otherwise retaliate against a person traveling across state lines to obtain a lawful abortion.

The Women’s Health Protection Act passed the House of Representatives by a final vote of 219 to 210. The Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act passed the House by a final vote of 223 to 205. Both bills now head to the Senate for consideration.

Since the Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade, Larsen has supported the following actions to ensure access to abortion and reproductive health care nationwide:

• Last week, Larsen joined Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and more than 40 House Democrats in urging the Biden administration to clarify patient care rights as they relate to pregnancy and abortion care under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.
• Last week, Larsen joined Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, Rep Norma Torres and more than 70 House Democrats in calling on the Federal Trade Commission to protect people seeking abortion from digital surveillance, including data brokers and location tracking.
• Larsen supports increased funding for the Title X Family Planning Program to help expand and support the delivery of access to essential preventative and reproductive health services in states like Washington.
• Larsen also supports the Protecting Access to Contraception Act, legislation to codify the right of Americans to access contraception without government restriction.