Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Denounces Passage of Republicans' Bill to Criminalize Reproductive Health Providers

CONTACT: Lizzie Johnson, lizzie.johnson@mail.house.gov (DWC) 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03) released the following statement denouncing House Republicans’ passage of H.R. 21, a bill that would criminalize medical workers providing life-saving care. 

“Republicans voted to criminalize reproductive health care providers nationwide. Under this bill, women experiencing heartbreaking, life-threatening pregnancies will die on the operating table. Babies born in complex, high-risk pregnancies aren’t going to get neonatal care. All because doctors, who already have an obligation to provide the highest degree of care, won’t want to risk five years in prison for doing their job. Why don’t Republicans care about these deadly consequences?

Criminalizing providers is just the latest action of Trump and Republicans’ anti-women agenda. This week alone, they removed a website with women’s health resources, shut down the Gender Policy Council, and gutted anti-discrimination protections for women at work and in schools. Each of these actions is a betrayal of America’s women and families. We’ll keep fighting back.”  

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