Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Rep. Susie Lee, both Democrats, introduced a bill in Congress that would help connect women in states where abortion is outlawed with access to reproductive care.
Saturday, July 22, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Nevada post-Roe
Nevada’s federal lawmakers this week introduced a bill seeking to connect women in states where abortion has been outlawed with access to reproductive health care.
The so-called Reproductive Health Patient Navigator Act, introduced by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Rep. Susie Lee — both Nevada Democrats — is modeled after similar programs that help connect cancer patients with clinical trials, the lawmakers said in a news release. The bill seeks to establish a federal grant program that would support organizations such as abortion funds and community health clinics that make it easier to access “vital” health care services.
“Far-right extremists are continuing to attack reproductive rights and we need to be doing all we can to get women the necessary support, regardless of if they live in states that have eliminated abortion services,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “My legislation will support programs that can connect those in need with critical reproductive health care in pro-choice states like Nevada.”
Added Lee, via a statement: “While abortion remains safe and legal in Nevada, women are seeking reproductive care here and in other states are struggling to access these critical services. As threats to access persist at the state, local and federal levels, I’m proud to champion legislation that establishes proven framework for reproductive care and helps patients — whether in Nevada or not — navigate available resources, wade through misinformation and find the services they desperately need.”
Nine other senators, all of whom are Democrats, signed onto the bill as cosponsors, according to Cortez Masto’s office. The measure has also been endorsed by a number of social advocacy groups, among them: the American Civil Liberties Union, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and others.
Deirdre Schifeling, national political director at the ACLU, said in a statement the bill is necessary as states across the nation have restricted abortion access since the Supreme Court ruled last year to overturn the 1973 landmark case
that assumed the federal right to the procedure.
“The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade triggered a wave of state abortion bans, putting people’s health and lives at risk,” Schifeling said. “Across the nation, we continue to see legislators attempt to restrict abortion and criminalize those who provide abortion care, creating a challenging and dangerous environment for navigating the health care system. This legislation would provide critical resources for organizations across the country that are helping people access lifesaving reproductive care.”
Since the high court’s ruling last year in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, trigger laws have gone into effect in nine states to ban abortion, and 26 measures have been enacted across the country to restrict access to the procedure — with the most recent coming as a six-week ban signed into law earlier this month in Iowa.
Last month, an official with Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada, the group’s local political arm, said its health clinics have seen a 37% increase in out-of-state patients since the Dobbs ruling.
Elsewhere across the country, a federal appeals court is mulling the Food and Drug Administration’s authorization of mifepristone, a drug that received FDA approval in 2000 and is one of two pills primarily used in medication abortion — which accounts for roughly half of all abortions in the U.S.
That case could ultimately land before the Supreme Court next year, leaving states like California to stockpile mifepristone in the event the FDA is forced to reverse its approval. Democrats in Congress have stressed that reversing mifepristone’s approval would gut the FDA’s approval process, undermining regulators’ ability to determine what’s safe and what isn’t.
Despite backing from colleagues in the Senate, the bill introduced Thursday will likely have an uphill battle if it is to be signed into law. It will need to navigate the Republican-controlled House and need the support of at least nine GOP senators to bypass a filibuster.
Such support on the issue will likely be especially hard to come by, as conservatives have largely stalled efforts to advance legislative action seeking to expand abortion access.
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