HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.123
Rep. Pohutsky offered the following resolution:
1 A resolution to urge the United States Congress to enact
2 legislation that would ensure abortion is affordable and available
3 for anyone who needs it and to support the President of the United
4 States’ efforts to protect abortion access across the country.
5 Whereas, Every person should have the freedom to make
6 decisions about their bodies, their lives, and their futures with
7 respect and dignity, including when and how to become parents,
8 without barriers based on income or access. Abortion care, along
9 with the full range of health care, should be affordable,
10 available, and supported for everyone who needs it; and
11 Whereas, On June 24, 2022 the Supreme Court overturned Roe v.
12 Wade and stripped away a right that had been held for nearly 50
13 years. Almost one third (29%) of the total U.S. population of women
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1 of reproductive age are now living in states where abortion is
2 either unavailable or severely restricted, and a dozen other states
3 are certain or likely to ban abortion in the future. All across the
4 country, pregnant people now face delays when trying to access
5 abortion care or are forced to travel hundreds of miles to states
6 with less restrictive requirements and take on additional emotional
7 and financial costs; and
8 Whereas, A 2022 report found that more than 66 clinics in 15
9 states have been forced to stop providing abortion care as a result
10 of criminalization, impacting 22 million people of reproductive age
11 who may be in need of abortion care. In these states, people are
12 denied abortion care altogether and, without the means to travel to
13 receive the care they need, are forced to carry a pregnancy against
14 their will; and
15 Whereas, A person seeking an abortion that is denied is more
16 likely to experience life-threatening maternal and infant health
17 complications, more likely to have a household income below the
18 poverty line and experience economic hardship, and more likely to
19 stay in contact with violent partners, putting them and their
20 children at greater risk than if they were able to receive the
21 abortion; and
22 Whereas, Abortion is a safe and effective medical procedure.
23 Leading public health organizations such as the American College of
24 Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association,
25 and the American Academy of Family Physicians strongly oppose
26 efforts to impede access to abortion care or interfere in the
27 relationship between a person and health care provider; and
28 Whereas, Medication abortion is a FDA-approved, safe, and
29 effective option for ending an early pregnancy up to 10 weeks and
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1 accounts for more than half of all abortions, yet anti-abortion
2 lawmakers have enacted medically unnecessary laws to restrict and
3 stigmatize the procedure. Congressional passage of the Women’s
4 Health Protection Act of 2023 would protect the right to abortion
5 and prohibit governmental restrictions on abortion; and
6 Whereas, Abortion care should be made available without
7 hurdles or stigma for people of color, young people, LGBTQ+ and
8 non-binary people, immigrants, and others. Systemic racism,
9 economic insecurity, and punitive policies such as the Hyde
10 amendment and insurance coverage bans have especially impacted
11 people of color and marginalized groups. Congressional passage of
12 the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH)
13 Act of 2023 would ensure equal, affordable access to abortion to
14 all individuals no matter their race, how much money they make, how
15 they are insured, who they are, or where they’re from; and
16 Whereas, Immigrant families continue to struggle against low
17 wages, unfair working conditions, a dehumanizing immigration
18 system, and restrictions to access based on documentation status.
19 Congressional passage of the Lifting Immigrant Families Through
20 Benefits Access Restoration Act of 2021 and the Health Equity and
21 Access under the Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Women and Families Act of
22 2021 would allow many immigrants to enroll in federal health
23 programs like Medicaid without waiting periods and ensure that all
24 immigrants can access affordable coverage for which they are
25 otherwise eligible; and
26 Whereas, The Michigan House of Representatives stands
27 committed to ensuring abortion is available for everyone who needs
28 it by supporting and advancing policies that ensure abortion care
29 is available without hurdles or stigma for all people in the
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1 communities in which they live, regardless of their race, gender,
2 sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. The Michigan
3 Legislature has already taken bold steps towards abortion justice
4 by repealing the harmful and archaic 1931 law that criminalized
5 abortion providers and adding protections so that no worker will
6 have to face discrimination based on their reproductive health
7 outcomes, including having an abortion; and
8 Whereas, Local leaders and stakeholders in Michigan are
9 working to advance comprehensive abortion justice policies that
10 address the lived realities of abortion access. Abortion providers
11 in the state of Michigan offer quality and compassionate care,
12 making Michigan a state that will always be a place for those in
13 need of abortion care; now, therefore, be it
14 Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we urge the
15 United States Congress to enact legislation that would ensure
16 abortion is affordable and available for anyone who needs it and to
17 support the President of the United States’ efforts to protect
18 abortion access across the country; and be it further
19 Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the
20 President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States
21 House of Representatives, the President of the United States
22 Senate, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.
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