Today, June 8th, marks the official reintroduction of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA)! This groundbreaking piece of federal legislation works towards a future where everyone, everywhere is free to make the personal decisions that shape their lives, futures, and families, without political or legislative interference. And the timing has never been more urgent, as state lawmakers continue their relentless efforts to ban access to abortion care, and the Supreme Court prepares to hear Jackson Women’s Health v. Dobbs, a case that could determine the future of Roe v. Wade. 

We know that Roe v. Wade, while important, does not mean that everyone is actually able to access abortion care. The hundreds of state laws – and federal restrictions such as the Hyde Amendment – that restrict and ban abortion have already made this care inaccessible for millions of people. The people who have been most hurt by these restrictions are those who already face barriers to accessing health care – including rural communities, people working to make ends meet, Black, Indigenous and People of Color, women, queer folks, immigrants, young people, and people with disabilities. The WHPA would address these barriers head on, essentially making the medically unnecessary restrictions and bans that impede access for people unlawful. This legislation also aims to create a statutory right for clinicians to provide abortion care. 

WHPA is a bill that works hand-in-hand with the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act of 2021. EACH is a federal bill that would eliminate all coverage restrictions on abortion care at the federal level, including the Hyde Amendment. Given that President Biden recently released a budget free from Hyde now is the time to continue pushing Congress to pass these bills and transform abortion access across the country. 

Here’s what you can do TODAY: 

• Contact your members of Congress and urge them to support WHPA.
• Amplify the call for Congress to #ActForAbortionAccess on social media.
  • WHPA Social Media Toolkit 

Learn more about the WHPA & stay up to date on the #ActForAbortionAccess campaign via https://actforwomen.org/.