Recognizing the importance of intersectionality for abortion access.

This resolution recognizes that women of lower socioeconomic standing face the greatest risk when abortion is restricted and acknowledges that women of racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Black women, are at highest risk when abortion is restricted.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 555 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 555

  Recognizing the importance of intersectionality for abortion access.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 23, 2023

Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, and Ms. Clarke 
of New York) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                  the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the importance of intersectionality for abortion access.

Whereas 1 in 4 women in the United States will have an abortion before the age 
        of 45;
Whereas approximately 22 million women and girls of reproductive age live in 
        States where abortion is heavily restricted;
Whereas over 1 in 3 women, plus more trans and nonbinary people, have lost 
        access to abortion in their home States;
Whereas the most common reason to end a pregnancy is due to potential 
        interference with education, work, or the ability to care for 
        dependents;
Whereas nearly 50 percent of abortion patients have incomes below the poverty 
        level;
Whereas women living in poverty have a rate of unintended pregnancy that is five 
        times higher than those with middle-class or upper-class incomes;
Whereas unintended pregnancy remains the most common among poor women, women of 
        color, and women without a high school education;
Whereas Black women are twice as likely to have an unintended pregnancy than 
        White women;
Whereas Black women account for 38 percent of all abortions;
Whereas Black women founded the Reproductive Justice movement in 1994 to address 
        the lack of intersectionality and racial justice in the existing 
        abortion rights movement;
Whereas Black women are almost three times more likely than White women in the 
        United States to die from childbirth;
Whereas the risk of dying in childbirth is 14 times higher than the risk of 
        dying from a safe abortion;
Whereas the impacts of maternal mortality and increasing abortion restrictions 
        are closely related to each other and both rooted in persistent 
        structural racism and sexism;
Whereas LGBTQI+ individuals experience major disparities in abortion and 
        reproductive care;
Whereas an estimated 16 percent of individuals having abortions do not identify 
        as heterosexual women;
Whereas several hundred transgender and nonbinary individuals obtain abortions 
        annually at facilities that do not provide gender-affirming health care;
Whereas abortion care and gender affirming care are both fundamental to the 
        bodily autonomy of LGBTQI+ individuals;
Whereas the banning and restriction of abortion around the country has created 
        abortion-provider deserts, where some providers can only offer 
        medication abortion rather than both medication and surgical abortions;
Whereas medication abortion is the most common form of pregnancy termination and 
        accounts for more than half of all abortions in the United States and 
        increased access to abortions;
Whereas medication abortion is under threat by antiabortion advocates utilizing 
        junk science; and
Whereas decisions from the Supreme Court and Federal district courts are 
        threatening to the availability of abortions: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes that women of lower socioeconomic standing 
        face the greatest risk when abortion is restricted;
            (2) acknowledges that women of racial and ethnic minorities 
        and particularly Black women are at highest risk when abortion 
        is restricted;
            (3) acknowledges that surgical and medication abortions are 
        safe and any developments in science that affect abortion care 
        should be reviewed by scientific and medical experts; and
            (4) calls upon the Federal Government to protect the right 
        to abortion across the country.
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