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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 23 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

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. Barragan, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Moulton, Ms. 
Schakowsky, Mr. Gomez, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Bowman, Ms. Chu, Mr. Payne, Mr. 
  Garcia of Illinois, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Meng, Ms. Ross, Mr. Morelle, Ms. 
 Bonamici, Mr. Trone, Mrs. Watson Coleman, 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 Judiciary, 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 appreciation for the 
        essential, high-quality care that abortion providers and clinic staff 
        provide to their communities and those traveling to their communities, 
        and to 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 Organization, 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 decisions 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 with dignity, empathy, compassion, and respect, despite numerous 
        challenges due to abortion bans and restrictions;
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 demands every person has the human right to bodily autonomy, 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 practical 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 inequities caused by White supremacy, 
        structural racism, and systemic discrimination in the maternal health 
        care system 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 people, 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 creates and increases 
        the out-of-pocket costs and logistical burdens that patients face to get 
        care, which are sometimes insurmountable, forcing people to remain 
        pregnant while exposing the remaining abortion providers and staff to 
        increased levels of harassment and politically motivated 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 individuals 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 
        interference, and violent threats to their personal safety: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes Abortion Provider Appreciation Day to 
        celebrate the courage, compassion, and high-quality care that 
        abortion providers and clinic staff offer to patients and their 
        families across the country;
            (2) lauds communities across the country who are proud to 
        be home to abortion providers and clinic staff;
            (3) affirms Congress' commitment to ensuring the safety of 
        abortion providers, their ability to continue providing the 
        essential care their patients need, and the right of their 
        patients to access abortion care no matter where they live, 
        free from fear of violence, criminalization, or stigma;
            (4) condemns the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. 
        Jackson Women's Health Organization, which has had a 
        devastating impact on abortion providers and the communities 
        they care for, threatening the work and livelihoods of 
        providers and clinic staff, and worsening the strain on 
        providers who work in States where abortion is still available; 
        and
            (5) declares a vision for a future where access to abortion 
        is liberated from restrictions and bans universally, and 
        affirms Congress' commitment to working toward this goal in 
        partnership with providers, patients, advocates, and their 
        communities.
                                 <all>
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