Casten and Newman vow to find to defend Roe vs Wade federal ruling
The two Democratic incumbents forced to battle each other by the Democratic Party redistricting in the new 6th Congressional District both issued statements defending the rights of women to abortion and vowed to fight to defend the federal Roe vs Wade legal ruling.
Congressman Sean Casten and Congresswoman Marie Newman each released separate statements on the revelations that the U.S. Supreme Court was considering overturning the Federal Law to allow individual states to determine abortion policies.
Foes of abortion define themselves as being “pro-Life” while abortion rights advocates define themselves as “Pro-Choice.”
Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) released the following statement on the recent reporting that the Supreme Court Plans to strike down the abortion rights codified in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in the draft majority decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Casten, whose staff called him “a fierce defender of women’s reproductive freedom and access care,” in 2018 became the first Democrat to flip a district held by staunch anti-choice republicans for over 50 years, including the infamous Henry Hyde.
Congressman Casten said, “I am absolutely revolted by the draft decision by the Supreme Court to tear away women’s constitutionally protected reproductive freedom.
In 2021, radical, anti-choice GOP lawmakers in 16 states enacted over 83 new abortion restrictions, with an additional 561 bills introduced across 47 states undermining equitable access to health care every day. As a fierce defender of reproductive freedom in the Congressional district formerly held by Henry Hyde, I will work harder than ever to defend access to affordable health care for all people, no matter where they live, where they work, or where they get their health insurance. This draft decision makes clear. Time is running out. We must immediately pass the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) to create statutory right for providers to provide abortion care, and patients to receive that care — free from medically unnecessary restrictions and bans.”
Last Congress, Casten held a roundtable discussion with a group of Chicagoland women who have been on the frontlines of the fight for reproductive freedom since the ‘70s, when they opened DuPage County’s first women’s health clinic in the basement of a church in Wheaton, IL. Casten interviewed Dupage County’s ‘Founding Mothers’reflecting on what life was like pre-Roe and warning what danger women could face in a post-Roe America.
Rep. Casten is a proud cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act (H.R. 3755) to statutorily codify abortion services, protecting the right to access abortion care throughout the United States; the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage (EACH ACT) (H .R.3755) to repeal the Hyde Amendment to ensure equitable access to abortion care for people and families; the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act (H.R. 1670) to authorize the use of certain foreign assistance funds to provide comprehensive reproductive health care services in developing countries, including abortion services, training, and equipment; and the Reproductive Rights are Human Rights Act (H.R. 1670) to direct the Department of State to include in its annual reports on human rights in countries receiving U.S. development and security assistance a discussion of the status of reproductive rights in each country.
Newman released the following statement on the Roe vs Wade controversy:
“I have been fighting for women’s rights for 30 years. In this critical moment, we need leaders with the lived experience for this fight. I know what it’s like to live in a pre-Roe America, and how so many women of color and women in rural areas already have no access to the care they need. Overturning Roe v. Wade has been the goal of the far-right conservative movement for decades, and we know that this is just the beginning. Civil rights, economic rights, and LGBTQ+ rights are all next. We will march, we will vote, and we will never stop fighting,” said Congresswoman Marie Newman.
Congresswoman Newman defeated one of the last anti-choice Democrats in Congress when she successfully defeated Dan Lipinski in 2020. Congresswoman Newman has been active in supporting women’s issues for decades. In her 20s, she helped open the first reproductive care clinic in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood at a time when there were few safe opportunities for women to seek reproductive care in the area.
In Congress, she is a proud member of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus and has a 100% pro-choice voting record. She voted to repeal the Hyde Amendment, to expand federal paid family leave, and to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Congresswoman Newman proudly voted to pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, introducing and passing an amendment to the bill to create a new grant program to serve LGBTQ+ survivors of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault.
As a result of her fervent support for reproductive rights, Newman has been proudly endorsed by a number of groups centered on women, including: Planned Parenthood Action Fund, EMILY’s List, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Organization for Women (NOW) PAC, Feminist Majority, and National Women’s Political Caucus.
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