From Sen. Tim Kaine’s office:
KAINE, MURKOWSKI, SINEMA, & COLLINS INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO CODIFY ROE V. WADE
The Reproductive Freedom For All Act would codify women’s rights to abortion and protect contraception access
WASHINGTON, D.C. —Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Reproductive Freedom For All Act. This legislation would enact in federal law the essential holdings of Roe v. Wade and related cases, protecting abortion rights and contraception access. This would undo the damage of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and would enshrine in federal law the fundamental right to reproductive freedom.
“After the Supreme Court gutted a woman’s right to make personal health care decisions, Congress must restore that right,” said Senator Kaine. “That’s why I’ve worked with my colleagues to find common ground on this bipartisan compromise that would do just that. The Reproductive Freedom For All Act would restore the right to abortion and protect access to contraception by enshrining those freedoms into federal legislation.”
“Every American should have autonomy over their own health care decisions, and the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs has made it imperative for Congress to restore women’s reproductive rights. I’m proud to introduce bipartisan legislation with my colleagues to write into law the protections provided through Roe and Casey as well as affirming access to contraception provided in Griswold and other cases,” said Senator Murkowski. “For five decades, reproductive health care decisions were centered with the individual – we cannot go back in time in limiting personal freedoms for women.”
“A woman’s health care decisions should be between her, her family, and her doctor. Our bipartisan, commonsense legislation protects the health and wellbeing of women in Arizona and across the country by ensuring all women – no matter where they live – can access the health care they need and have the ability to make their own decisions about their futures,” said Senator Sinema.
“The Supreme Court’s recent abandonment of longstanding precedent erodes the reproductive rights on which women have relied for half a century. These basic rights need to be the same for American women regardless of the state in which they reside. Our bill would restore the right to obtain an abortion by enacting in federal law Roe v. Wade and other seminal Supreme Court decisions pertaining to reproductive freedom. In addition, our bill would protect access to contraception,” said Senator Collins. “By reinstating—neither expanding nor restricting—the longstanding legal framework for reproductive rights in this country, our bill would preserve abortion access along with basic conscience protections that are relied upon by health care providers who have religious objections.”
The Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health goes directly against the will of the majority of Americans. According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, more than 60 percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Overturning Roe has resulted in immediate bans on all abortions in several states, and in the future could potentially call into question other important rights, including the right to access birth control, which was outlined in Griswold v. Connecticut, Eisenstadt v. Baird, and Carey v. Population Services International. That is why the Reproductive Freedom For All Act would not only enact the core holdings of Roe v. Wade but also key subsequent cases: Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey and Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, as well as the holdings of Griswold v. Connecticut, Eisenstadt v. Baird, Carey v. Population Services International.
The Reproductive Freedom For All Act protects the ability of women to make health care choices for themselves. It would:
- Prohibit state regulations that impose an undue burden on a woman’s access to pre-viability abortions, while allowing states to enact reasonable restrictions on post-viability abortions – provided that states cannot ban abortions that are necessary to protect the life or health of the mother;
- Protect access to contraceptives; and
- Preserve conscience protections.
Full text of the legislation is available here.
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VIDEO: KAINE DELIVERS SPEECH ON SENATE FLOOR AFTER INTRODUCING BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO CODIFY ROE V. WADE
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate regarding the Reproductive Freedom For All Act, legislation he introduced this afternoon with Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Susan Collins (R-ME), to enact the essential holdings of Roe v. Wade and related cases into federal law, protecting a woman’s right to abortion and contraception. The legislation would undo the damage of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and would enshrine into law the fundamental right to reproductive freedom.
Broadcast-quality video of the Senator’s speech is available here.
During his remarks, Kaine spoke about the consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs. Kaine said, “I could give many examples of, even in the month since that decision has been rendered, of the tragedy of what I believe is now post-Dobbs America. In particular, when a 10-year-old child has to be smuggled across state lines to receive care following her rape—that is gruesome. That is not what this country should expect nor indeed what we should tolerate. And yet that’s not an accidental by-product of the Dobbs decision. That was a completely foreseeable and even foreseen consequence of the Dobbs decision, that turning it over to 50 states would lead to a patchwork of horrible examples, one after the next.”
Kaine continued, “Every person in this country, no matter what zip code they live in, should have a basic federal guarantee about contraception and the availability of abortion services.”
“I believe the Dobbs decision and what we’ve seen since is a catastrophe that, as it plays out over time in state after state, will also change the dynamic in the Article I branch and demonstrate the need for a national protection for reproductive rights,” said Kaine. “So it is in that spirt that my colleagues and I have introduced this bipartisan bill today demonstrating that there’s now bipartisan support and majority support in the United States Senate to protect reproductive freedom for all.”
More information regarding the legislation is available here.
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