WASHINGTON, DC – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the Senate failed to advance legislation to codify the right to legal abortion care:
“Today, every senator was presented with a choice: to defend Americans’ right to privacy and abortion rights, or to put politicians in the exam room to dictate the reproductive decisions of America’s women. The choice was easy. As I cast my vote in support of the Women’s Health Protection Act, I thought of patients and providers unsettled by a near future where we could lose the ability to make our most intimate decisions for ourselves. In just a few weeks, five unelected and unaccountable Supreme Court justices are expected to act as a super legislature to rob Americans’ of our right to legal abortion and control over our own bodies. It’s horrifying and outrageous to all who believe in a free society and who reject government encroachment into our personal lives.
“Today’s vote is important because in our democracy citizens need to know where we stand on important issues. I believe Oregonians and the American people do not want MAGA politicians telling survivors of rape and incest that they must stay pregnant. We do not want doctors to fear criminal prosecution for delivering the care that protects the health and life of their patients. Americans do not want politicians and judges in our exam rooms and bedrooms.
“It’s up to all of us who believe in freedom and liberty from an overreaching government to create the political change that prevents this nightmare vision from becoming our reality. This weekend, Americans will gather to speak out. We are in a struggle with an extremist minority that wants to control you and your life. I will never give up the fight for protecting and promoting access to health care, including safe and legal abortion care.”
Merkley is an original cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act and long-time advocate for protecting Americans’ reproductive freedom.
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