WASHINGTON — Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a member of the House Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement on the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s announcement of its lawsuit challenging S.B. 8, the Texas abortion ban:
“This is the right move by Attorney General Garland, and we applaud the Biden Administration for acting quickly. The Progressive Caucus joined the Pro-Choice Caucus to call for action from DOJ last week after the Supreme Court failed to intervene and stop the cruel law from taking effect, as did the Judiciary Committee, and we’re glad to see the Biden administration step up to protect millions of Texans’ access to reproductive health care. Abortion is a constitutional right, and as the Attorney General stated, S.B. 8 clearly violates it.
“But Texas is not alone in their attempts to push abortion out of reach; this law is just one of nearly 600 restrictive abortion laws introduced in state legislatures in 2021. This is a nationwide crisis that requires a nationwide solution, and Congress must also do its part. That’s why we are looking forward to passing the Women’s Health Protection Act out of the House of Representatives this month, and why we’re calling on the Senate to abolish the filibuster so we can send this urgent bill to the President’s desk. That is how we finally codify the right to abortion in federal law, outlaw attacks on access, and protect health care for millions. This is a fight we cannot and must not lose.”
