McClellan Statement on the House Republican GOP Health Care Surveillance Act
Read this press release from Rep. Jennifer McClellan here.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Chair of the Abortion Rights and Access Task Force for the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, issued the following statement after she voted against H.R. 21, the House GOP Reproductive Health Care Surveillance Act:
“It has taken House Republicans all of three weeks to renew their attacks on the reproductive freedom of families in Virginia and across the country. The House GOP Reproductive Health Care Surveillance Act severely restricts medical options for patients experiencing heartbreaking and life-threatening situations and criminalizes health care providers.
“Time and time again, the American people have rebuffed efforts to restrict reproductive freedom and interfere with medical decisions that should be left to patients and their providers, not politicians in Washington. Yet House Republicans use intentionally misleading language to conceal their unpopular agenda to insert themselves into these extremely difficult decisions and block access to comprehensive reproductive health services.
“The House GOP Reproductive Health Care Surveillance Act fabricates a problem that does not exist. Providers already have an obligation to provide appropriate medical care. Any insinuation to the contrary is both false and dangerous. I strongly oppose this bill and urge my Senate colleagues to vote against it.”
Background: The GOP Reproductive Health Care Surveillance Act criminalizes reproductive health care providers and threatens access to life saving care, especially for patients who require abortion care later in pregnancy. If signed into law, this bill subjects health care providers to prosecution for providing care to patients experiencing life-threatening pregnancy complications.