For Immediate Release

Contact: bowman.press@mail.house.gov 

YONKERS, NY –  Last week, Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (NY-16) hosted a virtual town hall on reproductive justice with special guests Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and National Women's Law Center Director of Health Equity, Dorianne Mason. During the town hall, they discussed the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade, travel for people seeking reproductive care from out of state, resources for reproductive care, and what we can be doing to fight back against possible national abortion bans. You can watch the town hall here.

Congressman Bowman opened the town hall by discussing the ongoing right wing attempts to legislate over women's bodies and freedom and the issues our country is facing when it comes to Black maternal mortality. The Congressman then gave a brief summary of the work he’s done over his two terms in Congress to support Reproductive Freedom including: 

• Fighting to enact the Women’s Health Protection Act to codify Roe v Wade and protect the right to abortion

• Being a member of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus (PCC) 

• Cosponsoring the Black Maternal Momnibus Act,  Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act, the Affordability is Access Act, and more

Rep. Bowman on the connection between healthcare affordability, school funding, and the cost of food and housing (at 42:15 in video):

“We have a healthcare system based on profit, not based on keeping people healthy,” said Congressman Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (NY-16). “And as a result of that, hospitals, insurance companies, drug companies, equipment suppliers, they’re all about making profits, not keeping people healthy and out of the healthcare system. And I’m an educator – I’ve watched, seen, and experienced physical education being legislated out of the school system. There are some elementary schools that do not have physical education classes. There are some middle schools that don’t have health classes to help students understand how to remain healthy. And then the issue of food insecurity and lack of access to healthy, affordable foods also drive up healthcare costs, because once the condition is acute, it is more expensive to receive treatment. So it’s a racket based on profit that’s connected to lack of access to housing, lack of access to food, and underfunded education systems.”

Rep. Pressley on Dobbs v. Jackson Decision (at 46:52 in video):

“When the Dobbs decision came out I was at my daughter's 8th grade graduation, and I was filled with such dread, such sadness, that she would be growing up in a world with less rights than I had,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07). “But even before the Dobbs decision, we knew abortion care wasn’t equitably accessible across our nation. Particularly for Black and brown, lowest income, our LGBTQ+ community, indigenous women, and people with disabilities. Abortion care is safe. Abortion care is necessary. Abortion care is healthcare. People seek abortion care for a myriad of reasons, and all deserve to be met with care, with compassion, and with support.”

Dorianne Mason on Maternity Care Providers Closing (at 1:01:20 in video)

“Abortion bans don’t just impact people seeking abortions,” said National Women's Law Center Director of Health Equity, Dorianne Mason. “They impact all of healthcare, including maternity care. So when clinics that provide abortions close, pregnant people lose access to all other services, including prenatal care, postpartum checkups, and even contraceptive access. And in states where abortion is illegal or restricted, being an OB/GYN is even difficult. Providers are forced to determine not what care is needed by the patient, but instead what type of care is permitted by state law. And as a result, some doctors are simply leaving states with severe abortion restrictions, and new doctors don’t want to take jobs in those states, and some maternity units in their entirety are closing.”

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