Attorney General Ford Joins Coalition of Attorneys General Urging Congress to Enact Protections for Reproductive Health Care


June 9, 2022

Carson City, NV – Today, Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced that he has joined a coalition of attorneys general urging congressional leadership to enact protections for equitable access to reproductive health care. AG Ford and 18 other attorneys general sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer outlining the protections they support.

“The right to reproductive health care is under sustained attack, and we must be proactive in taking steps to protect this fundamental right,” said AG Ford. “Congress must take action to ensure that access to reproductive health care is equally available to all.”

In the letter, the attorneys general argue that without codifying access to reproductive health care into law, historically oppressed demographics will be disproportionately harmed if the Supreme Court overturns the protections of Roe v. Wade.

In the letter, the attorneys general ask Congress to take these crucial steps:

 

  • Eliminating the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of Medicare and Medicaid funds from being used to cover abortion, from the federal budget;
  • Passing legislation requiring commercial insurance plans cover abortion care if they also cover maternity benefits;
  • Eliminating the rider in the appropriations bill that prohibits the District of Columbia from using local funds for abortion services;
  • Preempting state restrictions on access to abortion-relation medications approved by the FDA;
  • Strengthening data privacy laws to protect the privacy of people seeking reproductive care; and
  • Expressly permitting the use of the Postal Service to distribute FDA-approved abortion-related medications

 

In addition, the attorneys general urge the Senate to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. A majority of Americans support legal access to abortion, and state voter suppression laws will affect the ability of the Americans to have their voice heard. State laws that criminalize abortion could also impact voting rights in states that disenfranchise people with felony convictions.

In signing the letter, AG Ford joins the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia.

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