Expressing support for the recognition of March 10 2023 as Abortion Provider Appreciation Day.

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 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.

Summary: This concurrent resolution recognizes Abortion Provider Appreciation Day.