IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 555 

Recognizing the importance of intersectionality for abortion access. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 23, 2023 

Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN (for herself, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, and Ms. CLARKE

of New York) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the importance of intersectionality for abortion 

access. 

Whereas 1 in 4 women in the United States will have an 

abortion before the age of 45; 

Whereas approximately 22 million women and girls of reproductive age live in States where abortion is heavily restricted; 

Whereas over 1 in 3 women, plus more trans and nonbinary 

people, have lost access to abortion in their home States; 

Whereas the most common reason to end a pregnancy is due 

to potential interference with education, work, or the 

ability to care for dependents; 

Whereas nearly 50 percent of abortion patients have incomes 

below the poverty level; 


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•HRES 555 IH 

Whereas women living in poverty have a rate of unintended 

pregnancy that is five times higher than those with middle-class or upper-class incomes; 

Whereas unintended pregnancy remains the most common 

among poor women, women of color, and women without 

a high school education; 

Whereas Black women are twice as likely to have an unintended pregnancy than White women; 

Whereas Black women account for 38 percent of all abortions; 

Whereas Black women founded the Reproductive Justice 

movement in 1994 to address the lack of intersectionality 

and racial justice in the existing abortion rights movement; 

Whereas Black women are almost three times more likely 

than White women in the United States to die from 

childbirth; 

Whereas the risk of dying in childbirth is 14 times higher 

than the risk of dying from a safe abortion; 

Whereas the impacts of maternal mortality and increasing 

abortion restrictions are closely related to each other and 

both rooted in persistent structural racism and sexism; 

Whereas LGBTQI+ individuals experience major disparities 

in abortion and reproductive care; 

Whereas an estimated 16 percent of individuals having abortions do not identify as heterosexual women; 

Whereas several hundred transgender and nonbinary individuals obtain abortions annually at facilities that do not 

provide gender-affirming health care; 


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•HRES 555 IH 

Whereas abortion care and gender affirming care are both 

fundamental to the bodily autonomy of LGBTQI+ individuals; 

Whereas the banning and restriction of abortion around the 

country has created abortion-provider deserts, where 

some providers can only offer medication abortion rather 

than both medication and surgical abortions; 

Whereas medication abortion is the most common form of 

pregnancy termination and accounts for more than half 

of all abortions in the United States and increased access 

to abortions; 

Whereas medication abortion is under threat by antiabortion 

advocates utilizing junk science; and 

Whereas decisions from the Supreme Court and Federal district courts are threatening to the availability of abortions: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes that women of lower socio3 economic standing face the greatest risk when abor4 tion is restricted; 

5 (2) acknowledges that women of racial and eth6 nic minorities and particularly Black women are at 

7 highest risk when abortion is restricted; 

8 (3) acknowledges that surgical and medication 

9 abortions are safe and any developments in science 

10 that affect abortion care should be reviewed by sci11 entific and medical experts; and 


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•HRES 555 IH 

1 (4) calls upon the Federal Government to pro2 tect the right to abortion across the country. 

Æ 


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