On July 15, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 8297, the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022, also known as the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act. This bill has a series of components, each of which would prevent states from meddling in women’s abortions based on the right to interstate travel. For example, if a woman from a state where abortion is illegal travels to a state where abortion is legal, the health care provider’s services cannot be obstructed. Similarly, a woman cannot be prosecuted for traveling and receiving an abortion from a different state, nor can the movement of abortion-inducing drugs across state lines be constrained. Essentially, the fundamental right to interstate travel within the United States cannot in any way be limited for the purposes of preventing abortions. This bill, if passed by the Senate, will make it possible for women to access abortions across state lines, saving women’s lives. WDI USA supports this bill on the basis of Article 3 of the Declaration, women’s rights to physical and reproductive integrity.
On July 21, 2022, the House passed H.R. 8373, also known as the Right to Contraception Act. This bill draws an implicit distinction between abortion and contraception. It would protect people’s rights to acquire and use contraception; protect a provider’s ability to provide contraception; and protect the dispersal of information about contraception. The bill explicitly includes “emergency contraceptives” (i.e., a morning-after pill/Plan B). This bill, if passed by the Senate, will provide at least some measure of protection for women in the face of unwanted and unplanned pregnancies, and WDI USA supports it on the basis of Article 3 of the Declaration. We encourage you to reach out to your Senators and urge them to pass both of these bills.
