[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 78 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 78
Expressing support for the recognition of March 10, 2026, as ``Abortion
Provider Appreciation Day''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 12, 2026
Ms. Pressley (for herself, Ms. Omar, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Swalwell, Ms.
Moore of Wisconsin, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Salinas, Mr. Doggett,
Ms. Tokuda, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Johnson of Georgia,
Ms. Crockett, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Ms. Ross,
Ms. Johnson of Texas, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms.
Bonamici, Ms. Chu, and Ms. Simon) submitted the following concurrent
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce,
and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the recognition of March 10, 2026, as ``Abortion
Provider Appreciation Day''.
Whereas March 10 has been established as a day to show appreciation for the
essential, high-quality care that abortion providers and all staff
provide to their communities and those traveling to their communities,
and to celebrate their courage, compassion, and dedication to their
work;
Whereas March 10 was selected for ``Abortion Provider Appreciation Day'' in
honor of Dr. David Gunn, who was killed on March 10, 1993, outside his
abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida, by a White supremacist and
antiabortion extremist in the first known murder of an abortion
provider;
Whereas abortions are provided in-person and through telehealth independent
clinics, Planned Parenthood health care centers, hospitals, and private
offices of doctors, and all of the staff working at those facilities are
essential to ensuring patients receive needed care;
Whereas, on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States erroneously
overturned Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's
Health Organization, 597 U.S. 215 (2022) (referred to in this preamble
as ``the Dobbs decision''), reversing decades of legal precedent
affirming the right to an abortion and unleashing devastation on an
already precarious abortion access landscape;
Whereas States across the United States have moved to restrict access to
abortion care, and 20 States have banned some or all access to an
abortion as of March 2026;
Whereas, because of State abortion bans and restrictions and Federal attacks on
sexual reproductive health, scores of clinics and health care centers in
already underserved areas and maternal health deserts have closed;
Whereas health care center closures force abortion providers and staff out of
the health care workforce;
Whereas, in 2025, 51 Planned Parenthood health centers closed, leaving patients
with fewer options and higher travel costs;
Whereas these closures force more patients to remain pregnant against their will
or travel out-of-state for abortion care, find childcare or lodging, and
raise money to cover the ever-increasing costs of an abortion and
wraparound support, as well as increase wait times and strain already
thin resources;
Whereas providers and health care center staff work to ensure access to abortion
is accessible despite being strained beyond capacity;
Whereas abortion providers and all staff play a critical role in a world where
it has become increasingly difficult for individuals to receive
essential and time-sensitive care once those individuals have made
decisions that are right for their bodies, lives, and futures;
Whereas abortion providers and all staff help to ensure that all individuals who
can become pregnant can make their own decisions about their bodies and
their pregnancies, and support their decisions by treating them with
dignity, empathy, compassion, and respect, despite numerous challenges
due to abortion bans and restrictions;
Whereas abortion providers and all staff play an essential role within the
reproductive justice framework, which was created by 12 Black women in
1994, who formulated a human rights framework that demands every person
has the human right to bodily autonomy, which includes the right to
choose if, when, and how to have children and the right to parent
children in safe and sustainable communities;
Whereas restrictions on abortion care have far-reaching consequences that deepen
existing inequities and worsen health outcomes for pregnant people,
people giving birth, and their families;
Whereas people who are denied abortion care are more likely to experience high
blood pressure and other serious medical conditions during the end of
pregnancy, remain in relationships where interpersonal violence is
present, and experience poverty;
Whereas research shows that States that have more abortion restrictions are also
States that have poorer maternal health outcomes;
Whereas nearly 27,000,000 women of reproductive age, plus more trans and
nonbinary people, do not have access to abortion where they live;
Whereas more than half of all Black women of reproductive age do not have access
to abortion where they live;
Whereas restricting and banning access to abortion care--
(1) limits the ability of current and future providers to obtain
necessary education and training in abortion care;
(2) exposes the remaining abortion providers and all staff to increased
levels of harassment, violence, and politically motivated restrictions; and
(3) creates and increases the out-of-pocket costs and logistical
burdens that patients face to get care to a level that is sometimes
insurmountable, forcing patients to remain pregnant;
Whereas the 2024 Violence and Disruption Report of the National Abortion
Federation found that since 1977, there have been 11 murders, 26
attempted murders, 42 bombings, 203 arsons, 570 assaults, 505 clinic
invasions, and thousands of other criminal incidents targeting abortion
patient providers and abortion volunteers;
Whereas the 2024 Violence and Disruption Report also found that in 2023 and
2024, there were sustained and consistent harassment and violence, even
as many clinics have closed and abortion keeps getting harder to access
in some regions of this country;
Whereas, in 2023 and 2024, providers reported 3 arsons, 28 cases of assault or
battery, 777 cases of obstruction, 621 cases of trespassing, and 296
death threats;
Whereas these numbers are likely an undercount due to provider fatigue, staff
turnover, and some clinics not having the staff or capacity to monitor
or report protestors or other anti-abortion activity, especially as they
manage surges in patients;
Whereas these incidents continued to occur under an administration that
vigorously enforced the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of
1994 (Public Law 103-259; 108 Stat. 694), in stark contrast to the
current administration that has pardoned antiabortion criminals and
explicitly stated it will not enforce the Freedom of Access to Clinic
Entrances Act of 1994 except in the most extreme cases;
Whereas Black, indigenous, and other providers and patients of color face
heightened levels of threats, harassment, and violence as compared to
their White counterparts;
Whereas the current administration has emboldened individuals and groups to
continue to harass and threaten the ability of abortion providers and
all staff to serve their patients;
Whereas the Dobbs decision emboldened antiabortion individuals and groups to
continue to harass providers and the patients they care for;
Whereas abortion bans and restrictions threaten the ability of abortion
providers and all staff to serve their patients; and
Whereas, in the face of multifaceted attacks on their work, abortion providers
remain an essential and valued part of their communities, providing
high-quality, compassionate, and necessary health care, and courageously
delivering that care despite pressures, restrictions, political
interference, and violent threats to their personal safety: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) recognizes ``Abortion Provider Appreciation Day'' to
celebrate the courage, compassion, and high-quality care that
abortion providers and staff offer to patients and their
families across the United States;
(2) lauds communities across the United States who are
proud to be home to abortion providers and staff;
(3) affirms the commitment of Congress to ensuring the
safety of abortion providers, the ability of abortion providers
to continue providing the essential care their patients need,
and the right of patients to access abortion care no matter
where they live, free from fear of violence, criminalization,
or stigma;
(4) condemns the decisions of the Supreme Court of the
United States, as well as the actions of the current
administration and antiabortion extremists, to limit and
stigmatize abortion care, which has had a devastating impact on
abortion providers and the communities they care for,
threatening the work and livelihoods of providers and staff,
and worsening the strain on providers who work in States where
abortion is still available; and
(5) declares a vision for a future free from all abortion
restrictions and bans, where everyone has full access to the
care they need without fear of penalty or stigma, and affirms
the commitment of Congress to working toward that goal in
partnership with providers, patients, advocates, and their
communities.
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