Madam President, I rise to express the urgent need to pass the Women's Health Protection Act and put an end to the constant attacks that have chipped away at women's constitutional rights in this country. Now more than ever, it is vital to codify reproductive rights and protect other hard-won civil rights as they face renewed threats. Last week, POLITICO published Supreme Court Associate Justice Alito's draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, which, while not final, would strike down Roe v. Wade. This would have an immediate and devastating consequence for the health and well-being of tens of millions of women of reproductive age across the Nation. Women in low- income families who could not overcome the financial and logical barriers to travel to States with abortion access will suffer the most, increasing existing health disparities. While this draft opinion is a reminder of what is at stake, we have seen the erosion of reproductive rights for decades. Despite the clear constitutional rights the Supreme Court established almost 50 years ago in the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, each year, legislatures across the country have passed harmful abortion restrictions in an effort to impede a woman's fundamental right to make the best informed healthcare decisions for herself and her family. This goes against what I believe to be one of the fundamental responsibilities of the Court, which is to expand rights, not restrict them.…
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