Advocates for Youth welcomes the introduction of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), which was introduced with historic support in both chambers, with 42 co-sponsors in the Senate and 171 co-sponsors in the House.WHPA is an important step from Congress that would prohibit states from imposing onerous restrictions on abortion, much like the bills we’re seeing pass in states like Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, and elsewhere.

WHPA would prevent states from:

• banning abortion prior to viability in direct violation of constitutional rights confirmed by Roe v. Wade;
• creating regulations that grossly exceed what is necessary to ensure high standards of patient safety and quality of care, and are meant to close clinics;
• restricting people’s ability to safely access medication abortion in the earliest weeks of pregnancy;
• imposing state-mandated medical procedures and protocols, such as forcing people seeking abortion to undergo ultrasounds and endure waiting periods for no medical reason, as a way to shame us for our personal decisions.

We need proactive bills like WHPA  to stop states from passing abortion restrictions that interfere with young people’s access to abortion care.  Congress should do everything it can to support young people, including minors’, access to abortion care.