[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 18 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 18
Expressing support for the recognition of March 10, 2025, as ``Abortion
Provider Appreciation Day''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 10, 2025
Ms. Pressley (for herself, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. Goldman of New
York, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Tokuda, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Swalwell, Mr.
Johnson of Georgia, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Nadler, and Ms. Norton) submitted
the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on
the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the recognition of March 10, 2025, as ``Abortion
Provider Appreciation Day''.
Whereas March 10 has been established as a day to show appreciation for the
essential, high-quality care that abortion providers and all staff
provide to their communities and those traveling to their communities,
and to celebrate their courage, compassion, and dedication to their
work;
Whereas March 10 was selected for ``Abortion Provider Appreciation Day'' in
honor of Dr. David Gunn, who was killed on March 10, 1993, outside his
abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida, by a White supremacist and
antiabortion extremist in the first known instance of the murder of an
abortion provider;
Whereas abortions are provided in-person and through telehealth by facilities
such as independent clinics, Planned Parenthood health care centers,
hospitals, and private offices of doctors, and all of the staff working
at those facilities are essential to ensuring patients receive needed
care;
Whereas, on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States erroneously
overturned Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's
Health Organization, 597 U.S. 215 (2022) (referred to in this preamble
as ``the Dobbs decision''), reversing decades of legal precedent
affirming the right to an abortion and unleashing devastation on an
already precarious abortion access landscape;
Whereas States across the United States have moved to restrict access to
abortion care, and 19 States have banned some or all access to an
abortion as of March 2025;
Whereas, because of State abortion bans and restrictions, scores of clinics and
health care centers in already underserved areas and maternal health
deserts have closed, forcing more patients to remain pregnant against
their will or to travel out-of-State for abortion care, increasing wait
times, straining already thin resources, and pushing people farther and
farther away from their homes;
Whereas abortion providers and all staff play a critical role in a world where
it has become increasingly difficult for individuals to receive
essential and time-sensitive care once those individuals have made
decisions that are right for their bodies, lives, and futures;
Whereas abortion providers and all staff help to ensure that all individuals who
can become pregnant can make their own decisions about their bodies and
their pregnancies, and support the decisions of their patients by
treating them with dignity, empathy, compassion, and respect, despite
numerous challenges due to abortion bans and restrictions;
Whereas abortion providers and all staff play an essential role within the
reproductive justice framework, which was created by 12 Black women in
1994, who formulated a human rights framework that demands every person
has the human right to bodily autonomy, which includes the right to
choose if, when, and how to have children and the right to parent
children in safe and sustainable communities;
Whereas individuals seeking abortion care across the United States also rely on
the work of abortion funds and practical support organizations to access
abortion care for themselves and their families;
Whereas abortion funds and practical support organizations that rely on
donations face increasing demand following the Dobbs decision as
individuals are forced to travel longer distances, find childcare or
lodging, and raise money to cover the ever-increasing costs of an
abortion and wraparound support;
Whereas the network of abortion funds, clinics, providers, and supporters that
work to ensure access to abortion is being strained beyond capacity;
Whereas restrictions on abortion care have far-reaching consequences that deepen
existing inequities and worsen health outcomes for pregnant people,
people giving birth, and their families;
Whereas people who are denied abortion care are more likely to experience high
blood pressure and other serious medical conditions during the end of
pregnancy, remain in relationships where interpersonal violence is
present, and experience poverty;
Whereas research shows that States that have more abortion restrictions are also
States that have poorer maternal health outcomes;
Whereas the effects of the Dobbs decision were immediate and disastrous, with 12
States completely banning access to abortion care as of March 2025;
Whereas more than 25,000,000 women of reproductive age, plus more trans and
nonbinary people, do not have access to abortion where they live;
Whereas restricting and banning access to abortion care--
(1) limits the ability of current and future providers to obtain
necessary education and training in abortion care;
(2) exposes the remaining abortion providers and all staff to increased
levels of harassment, violence, and politically motivated restrictions; and
(3) creates and increases the out-of-pocket costs and logistical
burdens that patients face to get care to a level that is sometimes
insurmountable, forcing patients to remain pregnant;
Whereas the 2022 Violence and Disruption Report of the National Abortion
Federation found an alarming escalation in incidents of obstruction,
vandalism, and trespassing at abortion clinics, with abortion providers
reporting an alarming rate of death threats and threats of harm, and
documented 218 of such incidents in 2022;
Whereas Black, indigenous, and other providers and patients of color face
heightened levels of threats, harassment, and violence as compared to
their White counterparts;
Whereas the current administration has emboldened individuals and groups to
continue to harass and threaten the ability of abortion providers and
all staff to serve their patients;
Whereas the Dobbs decision has emboldened antiabortion individuals and groups to
continue to harass providers and the patients they care for;
Whereas the Dobbs decision threatens the ability of abortion providers and all
staff to serve their patients; and
Whereas, in the face of multifaceted attacks on their work, abortion providers
remain an essential and valued part of their communities, providing
high-quality, compassionate, and necessary health care, and courageously
delivering that care despite pressures, restrictions, political
interference, and violent threats to their personal safety: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) recognizes ``Abortion Provider Appreciation Day'' to
celebrate the courage, compassion, and high-quality care that
abortion providers and staff offer to patients and their
families across the United States;
(2) lauds communities across the United States who are
proud to be home to abortion providers and staff;
(3) affirms the commitment of Congress to ensuring the
safety of abortion providers, the ability of abortion providers
to continue providing the essential care their patients need,
and the right of patients to access abortion care no matter
where they live, free from fear of violence, criminalization,
or stigma;
(4) condemns the decisions of the Supreme Court of the
United States, as well as the actions of the current
administration and antiabortion extremists, to limit and
stigmatize abortion care, which has had a devastating impact on
abortion providers and the communities they care for,
threatening the work and livelihoods of providers and staff,
and worsening the strain on providers who work in States where
abortion is still available; and
(5) declares a vision for a future liberated from all
abortion restrictions and bans, where everyone has full access
to the care they need without fear of penalty or stigma, and
affirms the commitment of Congress to working toward that goal
in partnership with providers, patients, advocates, and their
communities.
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