Published: Tuesday, October 3rd, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2017
Contact: Alexa Mauzy-Lewis, Camino PR
212.255.2575 / alexa@caminopr.com
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. House of Representative passed H.R. 36, the so-called “Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” a bill that would criminalize abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum Executive Director Sung Yeon Choimorrow issued the following statement in response:
“Just a week after Republicans tried again to strip healthcare away from millions of Americans, they directly attacked reproductive freedom. The 20-week abortion ban is just another attempt at advancing this administration’s anti-women agenda. It criminalizes women’s bodily autonomy, as well as the doctors who provide women with the care they need.
“Women seek abortions for various reasons, and imposing a 20-week ban on abortions — or any abortion ban — impedes women’s rights. It is not the place of politicians to intrude and dictate the scope of access to reproductive healthcare. Congress does not get to decide that women will not have our constitutionally affirmed right to choose whether and when to become mothers.
“Women of color and immigrant women, who already face difficulties accessing basic healthcare, do not need yet another barrier to accessing abortion care. Abortion restrictions are uniquely harmful to the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, many of whom are immigrants and who face financial and linguistic barriers to culturally competent reproductive health care. We are also subject to racist and sexist stereotypes about our reproductive decisionmaking.
“Courts have consistently struck down 20-week bans as unconstitutional. Additionally, this bill is based on fake science. Politicians should stop wasting time and taxpayer dollars on unconstitutional and anti-science legislation that attacks human rights.
“Instead, we urge members of Congress to enact proactive legislation to protect a woman’s right to abortion. NAPAWF will continue to lead the AAPI movement for reproductive justice and demand legislation from lawmakers that represents and protects our communities.”
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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build a movement to advance social justice and human rights for Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls.