Senate Dems Must Abolish the Filibuster and Pass the Women’s Health Protection Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the House passed the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill that will protect abortion access by codifying the protections enshrined in Roe v. Wade. The passage of this vital bill comes weeks after the United States Supreme Court allowed the most extreme abortion ban in our nation to take effect in Texas, and only days after the Supreme Court announced it will hear arguments on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a case that could overturn Roe, on December 1.

Stephany Spaulding, Just Democracy Spokesperson and Founder of Truth and Conciliation, issued the following statement:

“Senate Republicans will filibuster the Women’s Health Protection Act, just like they have filibustered vital voting rights bills over the past year –– the decisions we make both at the ballot and at the doctors should be ours alone. But in 2021, almost every state has introduced legislation restricting access to abortion. For the Black and Brown communities most targeted by these abortion restrictions, Roe exists in name only. 

The Jim Crow filibuster is once again threatening the lives of Black and Brown people –– this time, by further enabling the medical racism that already makes Black women three times more likely to die from childbirth than their white counterparts. We can not allow largely white, male lawmakers to dictate the reproductive choices of Black and Brown communities. Senate Democrats must swiftly abolish the filibuster to make a major step towards passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act, and Democratic leaders must reckon with the ever-growing reality of a conservative-packed Supreme Court.”

New polling by Navigator Research showed the Texas abortion ban is deeply unpopular. In the context of this new legislation, 61% of people (including more than a third of Independents) agree more with a statement about court expansion than with Republican arguments, giving new energy to the critical court expansion fight — one of Just Democracy’s core policy priorities. 

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About Just Democracy

Just Democracy is an intersectional coalition with racial justice at its core — uplifting voices from all walks of American life that are too often left out of the conversation. The coalition is made up of over 40 Black and Brown-led organizations working across issue areas. It mobilizes thousands who know that advancing social and racial justice issues first requires bold structural democracy reform.

 

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