Statement from Representative Adriano Espaillat on the 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
NEW YORK, NY – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) issued the following statement today to mark what would have been the 50th year since the Supreme Court first decided Roe v. Wade:
“This date marks 50 years since the Supreme Court first decided Roe v. Wade in January of 1973, guaranteeing the right to privacy and to abortion in the United States,” said Rep. Espaillat. “However, on June 24, 2022, we witnessed the Supreme Court strip away that right and overturned Roe in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Since then, these rights have been banned in at least 13 states and counting. In others, reproductive rights and care are severely restricted.
“It is no secret that extreme MAGA Republicans have launched new attacks on women’s reproductive freedom as part of House Republicans’ commitment to criminalizing abortion nationwide with no exceptions," Espaillat continued. "Many Americans are already suffering under the horrifying consequences of Republicans’ agenda: women denied lifesaving care, health care providers under attack, and new laws that punish women and those who help them.
“While House Republicans try to criminalize abortion, I reintroduced my resolution to reaffirm that access to abortion constitutes access to health care and is a fundamental liberty. This fight is long from over, and I stand with my colleagues and my constituents to urge true reproductive freedom and protections to access for all.”
# # #
Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.
Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov