Shaheen Vows to Fight Efforts to Overturn Roe v. Wade, Calls on Congress to Stand Up & Defend Reproductive Rights

**On the Senate Floor, Senator Shaheen Delivered a Stark Warning to Lawmakers on the Serious Threats Posed by State Legislatures in a Concerted Effort to Repeal Women’s Constitutional Rights**

(Washington, DC) –  U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) delivered remarks on the Senate floor this morning in defense of women’s reproductive rights, admonishing state legislatures in Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and other areas around the country for imposing expansive abortion bans that are part of a concerted effort to repeal Roe v. Wade. 

“In just the past two weeks, Governors in Alabama and Georgia signed extreme and dangerous abortion restrictions into law. Yesterday, the Missouri legislature passed another bill to place draconian restrictions on a woman’s access to abortion. These actions are part of a concerted effort around the country to overturn Roe v. Wade and to deny women access to reproductive care,” said Shaheen.

Shaheen highlighted the new law in Alabama, which would outlaw abortion in virtually all cases, with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. The law criminalizes abortion, establishing prison sentences from 10 to 99 years for providers who perform abortions in violation of the ban. Currently, the prison sentence for a first-degree rape felony ranges from 10 to 99 years, while a second-degree rape carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Under the new Alabama law, if a doctor performs an abortion for a rape victim, the doctor could be imprisoned as long – or longer – than the rapist. 

Shaheen underscored the concerted effort by state legislatures throughout the country to challenge the protections provided by Roe in the hopes of forcing action from the Supreme Court.

In closing, Shaheen emphasized the serious danger to women’s reproductive rights due to these state-led actions, coupled with incessant attacks led by the Trump administration, stating, “Whether it’s creating new administrative obstacles to insurance coverage of abortion, preventing Title X family planning clinics from informing their patients about reproductive care choices, or any of the many other recent federal actions, the Trump administration’s clear goal is to chip away at access to abortion. These recent actions by states and the administration pose grave threats to the freedoms and reproductive health protections that are relied on by women all across this country. At this critical time, we need to say loud and clear that we are ready to fight these extreme actions with everything we’ve got.”

Shaheen’s remarks can be viewed in full here.