Democrats for Life of America, a pro-life advocacy group, praised Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) Friday as the lone Democrat voting against the pro-abortion Women’s Health Protection Act.
“We appreciate that Congressman Cuellar stood up to protect women with this vote,” said Kristen Day, Executive Director of Democrats for Life of America.
“The legislation was written by the abortion lobby to line their pockets financially by eliminating abortion health and safety regulations and eliminating laws aimed to provide women with information about abortion,” Day added.
The radical legislation, which narrowly passed the House on Friday, but is expected to die in the Senate, would eliminate all state and federal health and safety regulations governing abortion and allow abortion throughout pregnancy.
The Act would also prevent both the federal and state governments from enacting or enforcing “any law, rule, regulation, standard, or other provision having the force and effect of law that conflicts with any provision” of the legislation.
This means the Act would void laws that require waiting periods, mandate viewing ultrasounds, call for parental consent, or furnish women with information prior to undergoing abortion.
“A majority of Americans would like to see more support for pregnant women and alternatives to abortion,” said Day. “We look forward to our continued discussion with Congressman Cuellar to advance legislation that empowers women to make informed decisions about their futures.
“Abortion should not be a partisan issue,” Day added. “We hope that other Democrats in Congress will follow the lead of Congressman Cuellar and vote for women rather than for the abortion industry.”
Passing the Women’s Health Protection Act is a “very exciting day,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in a press briefing Thursday. “We’ve long been supporters of Roe v. Wade. We haven’t been able to codify it because we never had a Democratic pro‑choice Majority with a Democratic President, and now we do, and now we do.”
“Every woman, everywhere has a constitutional right to basic reproductive health, yet for years that has been questioned by some,” she added. “And so, you know about the Texas law and the rest of that,” said Pelosi, who self-identifies as Catholic.