Press Release
Rep. Bera Votes to Protect Reproductive Health Care in Wake of Supreme Court’s Reversal of Roe v. Wade
Washington, DC,
July 15, 2022
WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-07) today released the following statement after voting for two critical pieces of reproductive health care legislation, H.R.8296 - Women’s Health Protection Act and H.R.8297 - Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act.
Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-07) today released the following statement after voting for two critical pieces of reproductive health care legislation, H.R.8296 - Women's Health Protection Act and H.R.8297 - Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act. "It is absolutely critical that Congress codifies the reproductive health care rights of Americans that are under attack following the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade," said Representative Bera, who previously served as Chief Medical Officer for Sacramento County. "The freedom to make the most intensely personal and often hardest decision of a woman's life should not be subject to the political inclination and ideology of politicians in Washington. Today's passage of these two key bills will ensure women are able to safely access the full range of reproductive health care. As a doctor, I will continue to advocate for a woman's right to make her own personal health care decisions in consultation with her doctor." The Women's Health Protection Act (H.R. 8296) would codify the reproductive health care rights provided under Roe v. Wade by ensuring health care providers have a statutory right to provide abortion care and patients have a statutory right to receive that care, free from state bans and restrictions that intend impede or block access. The Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act (H.R.8297) would prohibit anyone acting under state law from interfering with a person's ability to access out-of-state abortion services. This bill would protect interstate travel to seek an abortion where the procedure is legal and protect those assisting with the lawful abortion. Representative Bera previously voted for the Women's Health Protection Act in September 2021 and was an original co-sponsor of the Ensuring Women's Rights to Reproductive Freedom Act. As a physician, husband, and father, Representative Bera has long championed women's access to health care and has consistently opposed reckless legislation to limit a woman's personal reproductive health care decisions. Bera received Planned Parenthood's Champions for Women's Health Award in 2015 for his leadership in advancing access to reproductive health care |