I have been a strong supporter of women’s reproductive rights throughout my time in Congress. I believe that the decision to have an abortion is best left as a private decision between a woman and her doctor, not by politicians and the government.
This past June, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Clinic that overturned Roe v. Wade: the 1973 case that established a constitutionally protected right to an abortion. This decision dismantled nearly 50 years of settled judicial precedent for reproductive rights, the right to abortion care, and the right to privacy and autonomy. Now, millions of women across the nation are being denied the right to make personal and private health care decisions and, in certain instances, are even criminalized for doing so.
This decision is the culmination of a decades-long attack by extreme politicians to exert power and control over women’s bodily autonomy. I’m proud that Illinois has already codified Roe and preserved access to safe abortion care for generations to come. But, make no mistake: if Republicans take control of Congress, they will make passing a nationwide abortion ban that overrides states like Illinois a priority.
That’s why I’m committed to passing legislation supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans to codify Roe’s protections and other reproductive health freedoms on a national scale. The Women’s Health Protection Act, which I was proud to help pass for a second time in July, would enshrine access to safe abortion care and reproductive health care into federal law.
I was also proud to vote for the Right to Contraception Act, which would place the right to access and use contraception into federal law. Contraception is a core tenant of basic preventive health care that millions of people rely upon, and we must do all we can to protect it from far-right attacks.
As long as I have a vote in Congress, I’ll fight to defend women’s bodily autonomy and the right
for every American to access reproductive health care.