**Congresswoman Kuster spoke on the floor in support of this legislation. Her full remarks are available HERE**

Washington, D.C. — Today, just weeks after the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the near 50-year precedent of Roe v. Wade, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) voted for two pieces of legislation to protect and reaffirm a woman’s freedom to access abortion. The Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation to make the protections of Roe v. Wade the law of the land, and the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, legislation to prevent Republicans from criminalizing, fining or suing women who travel across state lines to obtain an abortion, now head to the Senate for consideration.

“The government has no place inserting itself into personal, private medical decisions — that includes abortion and reproductive care,” said Rep. Kuster. “We cannot leave women’s health and reproductive freedom or personal privacy up to the political whim of state legislatures. I was proud to vote for this legislation today to establish protections for abortion access, regardless of where you live, and ensure no one is denied their constitutional right to travel across state lines in order to obtain an abortion. I urge the Senate to immediately take up this legislation.”

Specifically, the legislation passed by the House today will:

• Women’s Health Protection Act: Ensure health care providers have a statutory right to provide abortion care and patients have a statutory right to receive that care nationwide, free from state bans and restrictions that are only intended to impede or block access.
• Rep. Kuster helped introduce and pass a previous version of this legislation earlier this Congress. 
• Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act: Protect Americans from extremist Republican politicians and anti-abortion groups by ensuring no person acting under state law can prevent, restrict, impede, or otherwise retaliate against a person traveling across state lines to obtain a lawful abortion. This would include vigilantes who could be empowered by states to seek out a person for obtaining an abortion.  

###