IV 

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. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Mr. 

MOULTON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. BOWMAN, 

Ms. CHU, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. GARCI ́A 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 


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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 


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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 farreaching 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 peoVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:42 Mar 10, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC23.IH HC23

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ple, 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 


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1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) recognizes Abortion Provider Appreciation 

4 Day to celebrate the courage, compassion, and high5 quality care that abortion providers and clinic staff 

6 offer to patients and their families across the coun7 try; 

8 (2) lauds communities across the country who 

9 are proud to be home to abortion providers and clin10 ic staff; 

11 (3) affirms Congress’ commitment to ensuring 

12 the safety of abortion providers, their ability to con13 tinue providing the essential care their patients 

14 need, and the right of their patients to access abor15 tion care no matter where they live, free from fear 

16 of violence, criminalization, or stigma; 

17 (4) condemns the Supreme Court’s decision in 

18 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, 

19 which has had a devastating impact on abortion pro20 viders and the communities they care for, threat21 ening the work and livelihoods of providers and clin22 ic staff, and worsening the strain on providers who 

23 work in States where abortion is still available; and 

24 (5) declares a vision for a future where access 

25 to abortion is liberated from restrictions and bans 


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1 universally, and affirms Congress’ commitment to 

2 working toward this goal in partnership with pro3 viders, patients, advocates, and their communities. 

Æ 


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