Congresswoman Schrier, Democratic Doctors Caucus Introduce Legislation to Protect Doctors, Abortion Access

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), Chair of the Democratic Doctors Caucus, recently introduced the Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act, legislation that would protect doctors safely performing abortions across the country amid continued attacks on women's right to choose. Congresswoman Schrier is joined in introducing this legislation by her fellow members of the Democratic Doctors Caucus: Reps Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06), Herb Conaway Jr., M.D. (NJ-03), Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03), Kelly Morrison, M.D. (MN-03), and Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-25). Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM).

"As a woman, a mother, and a pediatrician, I know that if, when, and under what circumstances to become a mother is one of the most important decisions a woman will make," said Congresswoman Schrier. "I will continue to do everything I can to protect women's access to contraception and safe abortion, which includes protecting abortion providers. State legislatures across the country and Republicans in Congress are using every tactic possible to restrict access to and criminalize abortion. Doctors should not have their hands tied or fear criminal penalties, loss of licensure, or loss of insurance coverage if they provide abortion care. This bill would preserve doctors' ability to perform this important medical procedure, and ensure patients and their doctors are the ones making personal medical decisions - not the government."

"Four years after Republicans ripped away the right to abortion, they're not satisfied-now they want to reach across state lines to arrest, sue, and harass the doctors who provide legal care. When Republican legislators try to weaponize the law to intimidate and imprison doctors providing legal abortion care that is nothing short of them trying to impose a backdoor national abortion ban," said Senator Murray. "Our bill says something that should be common sense-a doctor providing abortion care, in a state like Washington where that care is legal, should never face prosecution by out-of-state politicians. No doctor should be punished for helping a woman get the health care she needs. I'll keep fighting tooth and nail to restore the rights Republicans ripped away-and to protect the ones they're still trying to take."

"Caring for my patients as an OB-GYN for more than 20 years was a sacred duty," said Congresswoman Kelly Morrison, the first and only pro-choice OB-GYN in Congress. "No doctor should be targeted for providing safe and evidence-based lifesaving care to their patients. Our focus should remain on caring for our patients and protecting their health and well-being, not on fearing prosecution. The Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act protects the doctors who provide safe and legal reproductive health care, as well as the women who need it. On the fourth anniversary of Dobbs, which dismantled the right to abortion in the United States, this legislation is critical to strengthening the healthcare workforce and restoring reproductive autonomy and freedom. "

"As a physician, my responsibility has always been to provide patients with the best medical care possible based on science, evidence, and their individual needs-not political pressure or the threat of criminal penalties," said Congressman Conaway. "Patients deserve to know that when they seek reproductive health care, their doctors can offer medically appropriate treatment without fear of intimidation or prosecution. Four years after the Dobbs decision stripped millions of Americans of a fundamental right, Congress must act to protect both providers and patients. I'm proud to support the Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act which helps ensure that medical decisions remain where they belong: between patients and their doctors."

"Four years after Dobbs, we continue to see politicians inserting themselves into some of the most personal and complex medical decisions a patient can face," said Representative Bera. "As a doctor, I believe patients deserve access to reproductive health care, and providers deserve the certainty that they can care for their patients without fear of prosecution. The Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act protects both. We should be empowering doctors to care for their patients, not forcing them to navigate a patchwork of abortion restrictions, legal threats, and conflicting state laws that delay or deny patients the care they need."

The bill would protect doctors providing safe abortion care on the federal level, preventing state legislatures from restricting their legal practice or creating uncertainty regarding legal liability.

Specifically, the bill would:

• Protect health care providers in states where abortion is legal from laws that try to prevent them from providing reproductive health care services or make them liable for providing those services to patients from any other state
• Prohibit any federal funds from being used to pursue legal cases against individuals who access legal reproductive health care services or against health care providers in states where abortion is legal
• Create a new grant program at the Department of Justice to fund legal assistance or legal education for reproductive health care service providers
• Create a new grant program at the Department of Health and Human Services to support health care providers in obtaining physical, cyber, or data privacy security upgrades necessary to protect their practice and patients
• Protect reproductive health care providers from being denied professional liability insurance coverage because of legal services offered to patients

This bill is endorsed by All Above All, the Center for Reproductive Rights, National Council of Jewish Women, National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women's Law Center Action Fund, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Power to Decide, and Reproductive Freedom for All.

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