KEY VOTE: "NO" on the Women's Health Protection Act (H.R. 3755)

KEY VOTE: House · Sep 23, 2021

Heritage Action opposes the Women’s Health Protection Act (H.R. 3755) and will include it as a key vote on our legislative scorecard.

This week, the House will be voting on H.R. 3755, the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA). This proposal would entrench unfettered access to abortion in federal law. Despite claims from the Left that this proposal simply codifies Roe v. Wade—which would already be far too permissive— if enacted, the WHPA would endanger essentially all state-level abortion restrictions, existing state and federal conscience protection laws, and policies limiting taxpayer funding for abortions.

Make no mistake, passage of this radical and extreme proposal would erode the pro-life protections Americans have come to expect and prevent future life-affirming policies from being enacted. To name some of the most egregious provisions, of which there are many, the WHPA would:

  • Prohibit government entities from imposing any limitation or requirement that “expressly, effectively, implicitly, or as implemented singles out” and “impedes access to” abortion. However, even more troubling is that the proposal does not define what it means to “single out” abortion.

  • Prevent states from protecting children from abortion based on their sex, race, or diagnosis of a genetic abnormality such as Down Syndrome.

  • Endanger policies that protect rights of conscience and religious liberty.

  • Prevent states from enacting policies that protect children from inhumane late-term abortion procedures.

There’s a reason states have enacted more than 500 life-affirming policies in the past decade. Elected representatives did what their constituents asked them to do: protect women and protect unborn life. Congress would do well to remember that 3 in 4 Americans support significantly limiting abortion, and the vast majority do not believe that medical professionals should be forced to participate in abortions or want their tax dollars to fund abortions.

Also worth noting is that this proposal is a political response to the recent Supreme Court decision to deny a request for emergency injunctive relief for Texas abortion providers after the passage of a Texas law that protects babies whose hearts are already beating from being aborted. This fact helps to further illuminate just how out-of-touch the Left is when it comes to their unscientific crusade to end the life of innocent children who are still in the womb.

As explained by The Heritage Foundation;

Science demonstrates that human life begins at conception, and knowledge of prenatal development affirms the humanity of unborn children. Heartbeats can be detected by roughly six weeks. A baby can move in the womb around eight weeks.
The following week, all basic physiological features are present. At 10 weeks, a baby begins to form hair and fingernails. A baby may hiccup at 11 weeks. At 12 weeks, a baby can sense stimulation from outside the womb, and has the capacity to feel pain.
From the moment of conception, every person possesses inherent dignity and worth. Our humanity doesn’t depend on our age, our stage of development, or our abilities.

In summary, the Left will stop at nothing to advance their anti-life agenda in order to do the bidding of a well-funded abortion lobby. All Members should stand on the side of life and oppose this inhumane bill.

Heritage Action opposes the Women’s Health Protection Act (H.R. 3755) and will include it as a key vote on our legislative scorecard.