Richmond Leader

Washington, D.C. – On August 24, 2023, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) issued the following statement after the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld a six-week abortion ban: 

“The South Carolina Supreme Court's decision is an egregious infringement on reproductive freedom and a blatant departure from the legal precedent set forth by the same court earlier this year. This decision, handed down by a bench of all-male justices, is dangerous and jeopardizes the health and well-being of millions of South Carolinans, who will no longer be able to access comprehensive reproductive health care services. 

“During my pregnancies, my doctor and I discussed the impact abortion restrictions have on planned and unplanned pregnancies. The decision to terminate a pregnancy for any reason is a deeply intimate choice that should be made between patients and their providers. Politicians and judges have no place in those decisions. That understanding led me to champion passage of the Reproductive Health Protection Act in the Virginia General Assembly, making our Commonwealth the first state in the South to proactively expand abortion rights. Today, Virginia is the only state in the South without an abortion ban.

“The South Carolina Supreme Court’s decision is yet another product of widespread, systematic attacks on reproductive justice in the wake of Dobbs. As a proud original cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, I signed a discharge petition in June to compel an immediate vote on the bill. We cannot stand idly by and allow these extreme right-wing legislatures and courts to continue undermining reproductive freedom. Congress must take action to defend abortion access.”

Original source can be found here.