The Women's Health Protection Act () is a piece of legislation introduced in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

aimed at expanding abortion rights established in ''

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and s ...

'' and '' Planned Parenthood v. Casey''. It was introduced in 2013 by Congresswoman

Judy Chu Judy May Chu (born July 7, 1953) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she has held a seat in Congress since 2009, representing until redistricting. Chu is the first Chin ...

and sponsored by Senator

Richard Blumenthal Richard Blumenthal (; born February 13, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician who is the senior United States senator from Connecticut, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he is one of the wealthiest members of ...

. In the 117th Congress, the act was re-introduced in response to ''

Whole Woman's Health v. Jackson ''Whole Woman's Health v. Jackson'', 595 U.S. ___ (2021), was a United States Supreme Court case brought by Texas abortion providers and abortion rights advocates that challenged the constitutionality of the Texas Heartbeat Act, a law that outla ...

'' and later '' Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization''. It passed the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, but it was defeated in the Senate on a 46–48 vote in February 2022 and a 49–51 vote in May 2022. Among key facets of the bill include preventing governments from regulating abortions before

fetal viability Fetal viability is the ability of a human fetus to survive outside the uterus. Medical viability is generally considered to be between 23 and 24 weeks gestational age. Viability depends upon factors such as birth weight, gestational age, and the av ...

, or when the mother's life or health is at risk after fetal viability, and preventing government from restricting access to abortion services unless a compelling state interest has been shown in such restrictions. Violations would be investigated and prosecuted by the Department of Justice.

Legislative history

References

{{Statute-stub Proposed legislation of the 117th United States Congress Proposed legislation of the 116th United States Congress Proposed legislation of the 115th United States Congress Proposed legislation of the 114th United States Congress Proposed legislation of the 113th United States Congress Abortion-rights movement in the United States United States proposed federal civil rights legislation

Legislative history

See also

References