WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Chair of the Abortion Rights and Access Task Force of the Pro-Choice Caucus, released the following statement on the 48^th anniversary of the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade:

“Today marks the 48th anniversary of the landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade, which established a legal right to an abortion in the United States and affirmed the right to choose if and when to have a family in this country.

“But for too long, abortion care – a key component of comprehensive reproductive health care – has remained far out of reach for the most vulnerable and marginalized communities in our nation. Due to decades of racist and discriminatory federal policies like the Hyde Amendment and hundreds of anti-choice state level abortion restrictions, the right to bodily autonomy remains a far cry from reality for Black, Brown, indigenous, immigrant, transgender and gender non-conforming and low-income people.

“On this Roe Day, our charge is clear – to secure true reproductive justice for all.  Not only must we defend the legal protections established in Roe v. Wade, we must advance the fight to dismantle the racist and white supremacist policy violence that has been inflicted on our most vulnerable communities for too long. That starts by repealing the Hyde Amendment once and for all, and codifying abortion protections into law. 

“As Chair of the Abortion Rights and Access Taskforce of the Pro-Choice Caucus, I remain steadfast in this fight and clear eyed about the work that lies ahead for myself and my Congressional colleagues to legislate racial and reproductive justice and meaningfully advance policies that affirm that abortion care is health care and a fundamental right.”

As Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus’s Abortion Rights and Access Task Force, Congresswoman Pressley has fought tirelessly to protect comprehensive reproductive health care for all, including abortion care.

Over the course of her first term serving in Congress, Congresswoman Pressley has filed amendments every year to repeal Hyde from annual Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bills and in July published a Medium post on the importance of doing so.

In May, she led more than 155 Members of Congress in calling on House Democratic leadership to ensure that any future COVID-19 relief packages rejected Republican efforts to use the public health crisis to diminish abortion access. In May 2019, she led more than 100 colleagues in introducing H.Con.Res.40, a resolution reaffirming the House of Representative’s support for Roe v. Wade. In June 2019, Rep. Pressley introduced H.R. 3296, the Affordability is Access Act, to make oral contraception available without a prescription.

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