PHOENIX – Arizona physicians today applauded U.S. Senator Mark Kelly for voting in support of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have protected the federal right to access abortion care. The necessary and long-overdue legislation was voted on as the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to strike down Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case guaranteeing the constitutional right to abortion. Republicans in the Senate defeated the bill, which had been passed in the U.S. House of Representatives already.
“As a physician and Arizonan, I’m grateful to Sen. Mark Kelly for voting to ensure that anyone of reproductive potential can safely access abortion and prevent extremist politicians who have been bought and paid for by dark money from taking away the freedom to make health care decisions that are best suited to the needs of the individual,” said Dr. Cadey Harrel, a Family Physician in Tucson, director with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, and Arizona State Lead for the Committee to Protect Health Care. “Abortion is safe, normal, and essential health care, and restricting access to it is harmful to the mental and physical health of our patients, and is detrimental to the health of our communities as we know that restricting safe abortion access leads to a drastic increase in maternal mortality. We’re sickened that the Women’s Health Protection Act was defeated today, but wish to thank Sen. Kelly for standing with our patients and communities. We encourage him to continue fighting for reproductive justice without interference from politicians who think they know better than individuals affected by human rights violations, such as forced childbirth, and the physicians caring for them.”
If the Supreme Court does indeed strike down Roe v. Wade in its final decision, trigger laws in Arizona that pre-date Roe would take immediate effect in criminalizing abortion, and result in felony convictions and imprisonment of physicians who deliver this important care. By protecting the legal right and expanding access to abortion care, WHPA would override Arizona’s and any other state’s restrictions and bans on abortion. WHPA would guarantee the liberty of bodily autonomy and safe and legal abortion care to anyone seeking one even if the Supreme Court strikes down or weakens Roe v. Wade.
“No Arizonan should have to travel hundreds or thousands of miles, and pay extreme travel costs, to access the care they need, but if Arizona’s abortion bans take effect, many patients may be forced to try to,” said Dr. Deborah Wilson, a Scottsdale Gynecologist and member of the Committee to Protect Health Care. “Others may be forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term, which can be dangerous, and sadly, even deadly. We commend Senator Kelly for fighting for Arizonans and all Americans to have the power to control their own bodies and lives. We call on other elected officials in Phoenix and Washington, D.C. to respect the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship as we work to ensure our patients have the care they need and deserve.”
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About the Committee to Protect Health Care
The Committee to Protect Health Care is a national mobilization of doctors, health care professionals, and advocates who are building a pro-patient health care majority in Congress and in states so that we can live in an America where everyone has the health care they need to thrive. To learn more: www.committeetoprotect.org
