WASHINGTON — The House Committee on Oversight and Reform will hear from state officials, abortion rights advocates and legal experts Wednesday about the impact the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade has had in states that have imposed limits on abortion.
Among those testifying at the 10 a.m. ET hearing are Democratic Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Democratic Georgia House Rep. Renitta Shannon, National Women’s Law Center President Fatima Goss Graves, University of California, Irvine law professor Michele Bratcher Goodwin and We Testify abortion advocate Sarah Lopez.
“Today’s hearing is especially important because Republicans are not going to stop with Dobbs,” committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., in a statement ahead of the hearing, referring to the Supreme Court ruling. “They are openly planning to impose a national ban on abortion. The damage that would cause is inconceivable.”
“As we hear about the impact of the loss of abortion rights today, I would like to ask those watching our hearing a simple question: Is this the country we want for our children?” Maloney continued. “Do we want a country where our children have fewer rights than we did? Or do we want to live in a country that respects and trusts women to make the best choices for themselves and their families?”
“The answer is clear,” she said. “Americans overwhelmingly support the right to abortion.”
The Supreme Court overturned Roe in a 5-4 decision on June 24 — nearly 50 years after the landmark ruling — in a case it heard on Mississippi’s abortion ban, which the court ruled 6-3 to uphold.
The committee said the hearing will focus on the nearly half of states where abortion has been or may soon be banned. It said the hearing will also examine how these restrictions perpetuate “cycles of adverse health and economic outcomes” and actions proposed by Democrats to protect and expand the right to an abortion.
The House is scheduled to vote this week on two abortion rights bills, including legislation to codify the abortion rights that were guaranteed under Roe v. Wade and to bar states from trying to stop women from going out-of-state for abortions, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said last week in a letter to her colleagues. Neither bill has a chance of passing in the Senate because of Republican opposition.
Meanwhile, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is holding a similar hearing Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET, with witnesses from various pro-abortion organizations, including Planned Parenthood.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order last week that aims to safeguard access to reproductive health care services, including abortion and contraception; protect patients’ privacy and access to accurate information; and promote the safety and security of patients, providers and clinics.
Biden and top Democrats have been urging people to turn out to vote in November to elect pro-abortion rights candidates and have been warning that Republicans intend to enact a federal abortion ban.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
