Press Releases

LOWELL, MA – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, voted to pass two essential pieces of legislation to ensure every woman in America can access abortion care regardless of the state they call home. The bills, known as the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, would enshrine many of the same protections Massachusetts has already enacted.

Although she has been isolating at home following her positive COVID-19 test earlier this week, Trahan posted a video statement to her constituents about today’s vote. CLICK HERE or the image below to view her statement. CLICK HERE for a transcript of her statement as delivered.

As recent reports have emerged about Congressional Republicans plotting national abortion bans, Trahan cast her vote for a second time for the Women’s Health Protection Act. This legislation protects the right to abortion access by creating a statutory right for health care providers to provide abortion care and a corresponding right for patients to receive care free from medically unnecessary restrictions that impede abortion access, including mandatory waiting periods, biased counseling, two-trip requirements, and mandatory ultrasounds. The legislation would overturn many of the Republican-authored trigger laws that have already taken effect since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Trahan also voted for the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, which would block Republican attempts to criminalize, fine, or sue women who exercise their constitutional right to travel across state lines to access abortion care. The legislation was passed in response to state efforts in Missouri, Oklahoma, and other states to sue or penalize anyone who helps a person get an abortion, including out-of-state physicians and individuals who help patients cross state lines. The protections contained in the legislation are similar to those implemented in Massachusetts following the Supreme Court’s decision, as well as other proposals currently under consideration by the state legislature.

Congresswoman Trahan has long been a strong advocate for protecting reproductive rights. In February, Trahan voted in support of the American Rescue Plan, which expanded access to healthcare and provided additional funding for the Title X family planning program. In her first term, she co-sponsored legislation to repeal the discriminatory Hyde Amendment and block the Trump administration’s global gag rule. Additionally, when the Massachusetts Legislature was considering the ROE Act, Trahan testified in support of the legislation. 

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