Expressing support for the recognition of March 10, 2023, as "Abortion Provider Appreciation Day".

IV 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 23 Expressing support for the recognition of March 10, 2023, as ‘‘Abortion Provider Appreciation Day’’. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 9, 2023 Ms. PRESSLEY (for herself, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. BUSH, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Mr. MOULTON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. BOWMAN, Ms. CHU, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. MENG, Ms. ROSS, Mr. MORELLE, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. TRONE, Mrs. WATSON COLE- MAN, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PORTER, Ms. TOKUDA, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. FLETCHER, Ms. JACOBS, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. EVANS, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mrs. TRAHAN, Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania, Mr. BERA, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. KHANNA, and Ms. GARCIA of Texas) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judi- ciary, 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, 2023, as ‘‘Abortion Provider Appreciation Day’’. Whereas March 10 has been established as a day to show ap- preciation for the essential, high-quality care that abor- tion providers and clinic staff provide to their commu- nities and those traveling to their communities, and to VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:42 Mar 10, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC23.IH HC23 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HCON 23 IH celebrate their courage, compassion, and dedication to their work; Whereas this date is established in honor of Dr. David Gunn who was killed outside his abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida, by a White supremacist, antiabortion extremist, in the first known instance of the murder of an abortion provider on March 10, 1993; Whereas, on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Orga- nization, reversing decades of legal precedent affirming the right to an abortion and unleashing devastation on an already precarious abortion access landscape; Whereas, following the Supreme Court’s decision, States across the country moved to further restrict access to abortion care; Whereas, as of March 2023, at least 17 States either severely restrict access to abortion care or ban abortion entirely; Whereas, because of State abortion bans, scores of clinics in already underserved areas were forced to close and more patients forced to travel to other States, increasing wait times at clinics, straining already thin resources, and pushing people further and further away from their homes; Whereas abortion providers and clinic staff play a critical role in a world where it has become increasingly difficult for people to be able to make essential and time-sensitive de- cisions about their bodies, lives, and futures; Whereas abortion providers and clinic staff help to ensure that all people who can become pregnant can make their own decisions about their bodies and their pregnancies, and support their patients’ decisions by treating them VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:42 Mar 10, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC23.IH HC23 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HCON 23 IH with dignity, empathy, compassion, and respect, despite numerous challenges due to abortion bans and restric- tions; Whereas abortion providers and clinic staff play an essential role within the reproductive justice framework, which was created by 12 Black women in 1994 who determined the necessity of adopting a human rights framework that de- mands every person has the human right to bodily auton- omy, which includes if, when, and how to have children, to not have children, and to parent the children they have in safe and sustainable communities; Whereas people seeking abortion care across the United States also rely on the work of abortion funds and prac- tical 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 people are forced into the vicious cycle of having to travel longer distances, find childcare or lodging, and raise money to obtain an abortion and cover associated costs; Whereas restrictions on accessing abortion care have far- reaching consequences in both deepening existing inequi- ties caused by White supremacy, structural racism, and systemic discrimination in the maternal health care sys- tem and worsening health outcomes for pregnant people, people giving birth, and their families; Whereas the effects of the Dobbs decision were immediate and disastrous, as of March 2023 abortion is entirely banned in 12 States, meaning a total of 71,000,000 peo- VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:42 Mar 10, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC23.IH HC23 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HCON 23 IH ple, or over 20 percent of the United States population, live in a State where abortion is illegal; Whereas restricting and banning access to abortion care cre- ates and increases the out-of-pocket costs and logistical burdens that patients face to get care, which are some- times insurmountable, forcing people to remain pregnant while exposing the remaining abortion providers and staff to increased levels of harassment and politically moti- vated restrictions; Whereas the National Abortion Federation’s 2021 statistics on violence and disruption 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, with 182 incidents in 2021; 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 Dobbs decision has emboldened antiabortion in- dividuals and groups to continue to harass providers and the patients they care for; Whereas the unraveling or overturning of Roe v. Wade threatens the ability of abortion providers and the clinic staff who support them 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 this care despite pressures, restrictions, political inter- ference, and violent threats to their personal safety: Now, therefore, be it VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:42 Mar 10, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC23.IH HC23 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HCON 23 IH Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 1 concurring), That Congress— 2 (1) recognizes Abortion Provider Appreciation 3 Day to celebrate the courage, compassion, and high- 4 quality care that abortion providers and clinic staff 5 offer to patients and their families across the coun- 6 try; 7 (2) lauds communities across the country who 8 are proud to be home to abortion providers and clin- 9 ic staff; 10 (3) affirms Congress’ commitment to ensuring 11 the safety of abortion providers, their ability to con- 12 tinue providing the essential care their patients 13 need, and the right of their patients to access abor- 14 tion care no matter where they live, free from fear 15 of violence, criminalization, or stigma; 16 (4) condemns the Supreme Court’s decision in 17 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, 18 which has had a devastating impact on abortion pro- 19 viders and the communities they care for, threat- 20 ening the work and livelihoods of providers and clin- 21 ic staff, and worsening the strain on providers who 22 work in States where abortion is still available; and 23 (5) declares a vision for a future where access 24 to abortion is liberated from restrictions and bans 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:42 Mar 10, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC23.IH HC23 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HCON 23 IH universally, and affirms Congress’ commitment to 1 working toward this goal in partnership with pro- 2 viders, patients, advocates, and their communities. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:42 Mar 10, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HC23.IH HC23 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS