July 13, 2026
Ms. Simon (for herself, Ms. Pressley, and Ms. Kamlager-Dove) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
Expressing support for Reproductive Justice on the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America.
Whereas as the United States of America approaches its 250th anniversary, we recognize that both in the history of the United States and in the current day and age, aspects of the Federal Government and States across the United States have moved to restrict self-determination and bodily autonomy;
Whereas the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s tragic decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the constitutional right to abortion highlights the notion that self-determination and bodily sovereignty are cornerstones of democratic governance, economic security, racial justice, gender equity, public health, religious autonomy, and the full civic participation of all people;
Whereas attacks on access to abortion, contraception, gender-affirming care, and the freedom to form a family on one’s own terms threaten the ability of people to make decisions about their own lives, futures, and families, and fall hardest on those already facing barriers to opportunity;
Whereas Reproductive Justice, a framework created in 1994 by Black women organizers, holds that every person has the right to have children, the right not to have children, and the right to raise children in safe, healthy, and thriving communities, free from domestic violence, offering this Nation a coherent human rights vision rooted in freedom, dignity, and self-determination;
Whereas every person deserves the freedom to decide if, when, and how to build a family, and every child deserves the opportunity to grow up in a safe, healthy, and supportive community;
Whereas the right to have a child demands equitable access to dignified, person-centered reproductive and maternal healthcare; a robust and diverse health care workforce; postpartum and family support; and freedom from coercion, forced sterilization, and the criminalization of pregnancy;
Whereas the right not to have a child demands the legal protection of abortion access, the elimination of financial, geographic, and administrative barriers to comprehensive reproductive health care, robust protections for patients and providers, and the full decriminalization of pregnancy outcomes;
Whereas the right to raise a family with dignity demands universal health care, affordable and accessible childcare, paid family leave, disability-inclusive communities, living wages, and the resources necessary for every family to thrive;
Whereas the promise of America is not fulfilled when health care, family formation, and bodily autonomy depend upon a person’s race, ZIP Code, income, disability status, or immigration status; and
Whereas the scale of this moment calls for a full commitment of national ingenuity and political will toward the most fundamental human needs for our collective future: the preservation of our democratic integrity, the protection of our public health, and the full realization of reproductive freedom for all: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
(1)
recognizes that every person has the right to safe, dignified, and equitable conditions for childbirth and family formation;
(2)
commits to policies that advance person-centered, community-rooted maternal health care that expands the full continuum of maternal care, and ensures accountability at every level of the health care system;
(3)
condemns increased criminalization of pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, and affirms protections against reproductive coercion, forced sterilization, and the criminalization of pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage, abortion, and stillbirth;
(4)
affirms individuals should have coverage and access to fertility treatments, assisted reproductive technologies, and the full range of options people need to form families on their own terms with ethical and equitable regulatory frameworks governing emerging reproductive technologies, with particular attention to preventing eugenic application;
(5)
affirms that reproductive freedom includes the right to plan, space, or end a pregnancy safely, legally, and without barrier and commits to policies that advance, and constitutional enshrinement of, the right to abortion and comprehensive reproductive health care at every level of government;
(6)
condemns funding restrictions that deny or delay reproductive health care to people based on income, immigration status, insurance status, or geography, including Hyde Amendment-style prohibitions and their State and local equivalents;
(7)
affirms the commitment of Congress to guarantee universal access to comprehensive, medically accurate, age-appropriate reproductive and sexual health education and care;
(8)
affirms that reproductive justice requires the conditions to raise families safely, sustainably, and with full human dignity;
(9)
affirms the commitment of Congress to guarantee a universal and robust health care system that includes the full suite of reproductive and sexual health care, including abortion, contraception, prenatal and postpartum care, and gender-affirming care, for every person, regardless of income, employment, or geography;
(10)
recognizes the need for universal paid family and medical leave;
(11)
affirms that every person should have access to affordable, high-quality childcare and early education, essential family supports, including nutrition, housing, and health services, so that every child has the foundation for a safe, healthy, and supported childhood; and
(12)
declares a vision for a future where reproductive freedom is treated not as a privilege to be granted or withheld, but as a human right guaranteed to us all, and an indispensable foundation of democracy, dignity, and the American promise.