GOP legislatures continue to pursue cruel legislation to prosecute and punish women
WASHINGTON — GOP leaders in the states are pushing the boundaries on anti-women legislation, advancing dangerous attacks on reproductive freedom and even threatening jail time, as reported by American Journal News. Even in states where voters overwhelmingly supported reproductive freedom ballot measures, Republicans are working to undermine the will of the people and gut abortion access. Under Trump, state Republicans are becoming even more empowered than they always have been to test Project 2025 extremism in the states and pursue legislation with deadly consequences. The worst GOP attacks on women will remain in the states, and only Democratic power can stop them.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams issued the following statement:
“Republicans are pushing the boundaries of their extremism in state legislatures, launching increasing attacks on women. The GOP’s abortion legislation is downright cruel toward women seeking reproductive care who deserve compassionate leadership and affordable and accessible health care. Building Democratic power in state legislatures is the best way to counter archaic attacks on women, which is why the DLCC remains devoted to our mission of supporting state Democrats who will remain staunch champions of our freedoms.”
- Republicans in at least eleven states have introduced bills this year that would punish abortion patients as murderers and threaten access to IVF and contraception.
- South Carolina and West Virginia Republicans proposed removing exceptions for rape or incest from the states’ already-extreme abortion bans.
- The Republican-controlled Montana legislature introduced first-of-its-kind legislation that could charge women who leave the state for abortion care with ‘trafficking’ their own fetuses– a crime punishable by up to 40 years in prison.
- Wyoming Republicans threatened to ban chemotherapy and heart surgery with one version of an anti-abortion bill introduced last month.
- Republicans in at least five states aim to create criminal charges for possessing, prescribing, or distributing abortion medication.
- Texas Republicans filed copycat legislation of a Louisiana law that passed last year that classifies abortion medication as “controlled substances.”
- Republicans in Arizona, Kansas, and Missouri are ignoring the will of the voters who backed reproductive freedom ballot measures, by pushing extreme anti-abortion legislation. One Missouri Republican proposed creating a registry of women who were “at risk” for seeking reproductive health care.
- When a vacancy in the Minnesota House temporarily left Republicans with a majority, they seized the opportunity to attempt to pass anti-abortion legislation.
The DLCC is the official arm of the Democratic Party with the sole mission of building Democratic power in the states and setting the national agenda at the state level. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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