The proposed legislation would effectively nullify all existing protective laws.
On Tuesday, a group of U.S. lawmakers introduced the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA). The bill was put forth by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), along with Representatives Judy Chu (D-CA), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Veronica Escobar (D-TX).
In the Senate, the WHPA has garnered support from 48 Democratic Caucus co-sponsors, excluding Senators Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Casey (D-Pa.). In the House of Representatives, it has a total of 176 co-sponsors, all of whom are Democrats.
Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said “The enthusiastic rush of Congressional Democrats to sponsor this bill shows once again that the top legislative priority for Democrats is more and more abortions paid for with tax dollars,”
“The so-called Women’s Health Protection Act would essentially remove all legal protections for unborn children on the federal and state level. The Women’s Health Protection Act is, in effect, a no-limits-on-abortion-until-birth bill,” said Tobias. “Pro-abortion Democrats have yet to hear of an abortion-expansion bill they didn’t like and they are more than willing to push it on to the American people.”
Tobias continued, “Tragically, the only ones to benefit from such a law would be abortionists and abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood. This legislation endangers women and their unborn children, would expand taxpayer funding of abortion, and would no longer require that a woman be given information about the development of her unborn child.”
The bill seeks to nullify various protective laws, including:
- Requirements for providing specific information to women seeking abortion about their unborn child and alternative options.
- Laws mandating reflection periods (waiting periods).
- Laws permitting medical professionals to refuse to provide abortions.
- Laws restricting the performance of abortions to licensed physicians.
- Bans on elective abortion after 20 weeks, when the unborn child may feel pain.
- Bans on using abortion as a method of sex selection. It’s worth noting that these laws often enjoy significant public support in the states where they are enacted, including from substantial majorities of women.
Additionally, the bill aims to invalidate many previously established federal restrictions on abortion, including federal conscience protection laws and most, if not all, limitations on government funding for abortion.
“This legislation would invalidate nearly all existing state limitations on abortion,” said Jennifer Popik, J.D., director of Federal Legislation for National Right to Life. “This legislation would also prohibit states from adopting new protective laws in the future, including various types of laws specifically upheld as constitutionally permissible by the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
