Planned Parenthood Denounces Latest Attempt to Block Access to Safe, Legal Abortion

Both six-week abortion ban and 20 week abortion ban place an undue burden on a woman’s constitutional right to safe, legal abortion

Washington, DC –– Today, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice will hold a hearing on the “Heartbeat Protection Act,” an unconstitutional and dangerous ban on abortion at six weeks of pregnancy, before most women even know they’re pregnant. Wednesday’s hearing follows the House’s passage of legislation that would ban abortion at 20 weeks.

These proposals are wildly out of touch with the beliefs of the majority of Americans. Support for Roe v. Wade is the highest it’s ever been, as seven out of 10 Americans believe a woman should have the right to a safe, legal abortion –– that’s more popular than Congress, the Republican party or the Democratic party.

Statement from Dana Singiser, Vice President, Public Policy and Government Affairs for Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

“Extreme politicians in Congress are on a mission to make abortion illegal in this country, in spite of the fact that access to safe, legal abortion has been the law of the land for more than 40 years. These bills place an undue burden on a woman’s constitutional right to make the decision throughout her pregnancy about if and when she has children. These decisions should be left up to a woman, in consultation with her doctor and her family –– and never made for her by a politician. This attack on women’s health and rights isn’t just dangerous, it’s extremely out of touch with what the majority of Americans want from their representatives.”

Abortion bans are rejected by the medical community and the American public. When Americans understand the real-world impact of 20-week bans, a solid 60 percent of voters oppose them. A strong majority of voters — Republicans (62 percent), Democrats (78 percent), and Independents (71 percent) — say this is the wrong issue for Congress and their state legislators to be spending time on. Doctors, including the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, oppose these lawsbecause they prevent them from giving their patients the best health care possible.

In states that have passed laws that ban abortion at 20 weeks, some women and their families have been put into unimaginable situations — such as needing to end a pregnancy for serious medical reasons, but being unable to because of extreme laws that don’t reflect the real-world situations that women, their families, and their doctors face.

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Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.