119-hconres18

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 18 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. CON. RES. 18

Expressing support for the recognition of March 10, 2025, as ``Abortion 
 Provider Appreciation Day''.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 March 10, 2025

Ms. Pressley (for herself, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. Goldman of New 
 York, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Tokuda, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Swalwell, Mr. 
Johnson of Georgia, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Nadler, and Ms. Norton) submitted 
 the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
 the Judiciary, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing support for the recognition of March 10, 2025, as ``Abortion 
 Provider Appreciation Day''.

Whereas March 10 has been established as a day to show appreciation for the 
 essential, high-quality care that abortion providers and all staff 
 provide to their communities and those traveling to their communities, 
 and to celebrate their courage, compassion, and dedication to their 
 work;
Whereas March 10 was selected for ``Abortion Provider Appreciation Day'' in 
 honor of Dr. David Gunn, who was killed on March 10, 1993, outside his 
 abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida, by a White supremacist and 
 antiabortion extremist in the first known instance of the murder of an 
 abortion provider;
Whereas abortions are provided in-person and through telehealth by facilities 
 such as independent clinics, Planned Parenthood health care centers, 
 hospitals, and private offices of doctors, and all of the staff working 
 at those facilities are essential to ensuring patients receive needed 
 care;
Whereas, on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States erroneously 
 overturned Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113

    (1973) , in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's 
 Health Organization, 597 U.S. 215

    (2022) (referred to in this preamble 
 as ``the Dobbs decision''), reversing decades of legal precedent 
 affirming the right to an abortion and unleashing devastation on an 
 already precarious abortion access landscape;
Whereas States across the United States have moved to restrict access to 
 abortion care, and 19 States have banned some or all access to an 
 abortion as of March 2025;
Whereas, because of State abortion bans and restrictions, scores of clinics and 
 health care centers in already underserved areas and maternal health 
 deserts have closed, forcing more patients to remain pregnant against 
 their will or to travel out-of-State for abortion care, increasing wait 
 times, straining already thin resources, and pushing people farther and 
 farther away from their homes;
Whereas abortion providers and all staff play a critical role in a world where 
 it has become increasingly difficult for individuals to receive 
 essential and time-sensitive care once those individuals have made 
 decisions that are right for their bodies, lives, and futures;
Whereas abortion providers and all staff help to ensure that all individuals who 
 can become pregnant can make their own decisions about their bodies and 
 their pregnancies, and support the decisions of their patients by 
 treating them with dignity, empathy, compassion, and respect, despite 
 numerous challenges due to abortion bans and restrictions;
Whereas abortion providers and all staff play an essential role within the 
 reproductive justice framework, which was created by 12 Black women in 
 1994, who formulated a human rights framework that demands every person 
 has the human right to bodily autonomy, which includes the right to 
 choose if, when, and how to have children and the right to parent 
 children in safe and sustainable communities;
Whereas individuals seeking abortion care across the United States also rely on 
 the work of abortion funds and practical support organizations to access 
 abortion care for themselves and their families;
Whereas abortion funds and practical support organizations that rely on 
 donations face increasing demand following the Dobbs decision as 
 individuals are forced to travel longer distances, find childcare or 
 lodging, and raise money to cover the ever-increasing costs of an 
 abortion and wraparound support;
Whereas the network of abortion funds, clinics, providers, and supporters that 
 work to ensure access to abortion is being strained beyond capacity;
Whereas restrictions on abortion care have far-reaching consequences that deepen 
 existing inequities and worsen health outcomes for pregnant people, 
 people giving birth, and their families;
Whereas people who are denied abortion care are more likely to experience high 
 blood pressure and other serious medical conditions during the end of 
 pregnancy, remain in relationships where interpersonal violence is 
 present, and experience poverty;
Whereas research shows that States that have more abortion restrictions are also 
 States that have poorer maternal health outcomes;
Whereas the effects of the Dobbs decision were immediate and disastrous, with 12 
 States completely banning access to abortion care as of March 2025;
Whereas more than 25,000,000 women of reproductive age, plus more trans and 
 nonbinary people, do not have access to abortion where they live;
Whereas restricting and banning access to abortion care--

    (1) limits the ability of current and future providers to obtain 
necessary education and training in abortion care;

    (2) exposes the remaining abortion providers and all staff to increased 
levels of harassment, violence, and politically motivated restrictions; and

    (3) creates and increases the out-of-pocket costs and logistical 
burdens that patients face to get care to a level that is sometimes 
insurmountable, forcing patients to remain pregnant;

Whereas the 2022 Violence and Disruption Report of the National Abortion 
 Federation found an alarming escalation in incidents of obstruction, 
 vandalism, and trespassing at abortion clinics, with abortion providers 
 reporting an alarming rate of death threats and threats of harm, and 
 documented 218 of such incidents in 2022;
Whereas Black, indigenous, and other providers and patients of color face 
 heightened levels of threats, harassment, and violence as compared to 
 their White counterparts;
Whereas the current administration has emboldened individuals and groups to 
 continue to harass and threaten the ability of abortion providers and 
 all staff to serve their patients;
Whereas the Dobbs decision has emboldened antiabortion individuals and groups to 
 continue to harass providers and the patients they care for;
Whereas the Dobbs decision threatens the ability of abortion providers and all 
 staff to serve their patients; and
Whereas, in the face of multifaceted attacks on their work, abortion providers 
 remain an essential and valued part of their communities, providing 
 high-quality, compassionate, and necessary health care, and courageously 
 delivering that care despite pressures, restrictions, political 
 interference, and violent threats to their personal safety: Now, 
 therefore, be it
 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--

    (1) recognizes ``Abortion Provider Appreciation Day'' to 
 celebrate the courage, compassion, and high-quality care that 
 abortion providers and staff offer to patients and their 
 families across the United States;

    (2) lauds communities across the United States who are 
 proud to be home to abortion providers and staff;

    (3) affirms the commitment of Congress to ensuring the 
 safety of abortion providers, the ability of abortion providers 
 to continue providing the essential care their patients need, 
 and the right of patients to access abortion care no matter 
 where they live, free from fear of violence, criminalization, 
 or stigma;

    (4) condemns the decisions of the Supreme Court of the 
 United States, as well as the actions of the current 
 administration and antiabortion extremists, to limit and 
 stigmatize abortion care, which has had a devastating impact on 
 abortion providers and the communities they care for, 
 threatening the work and livelihoods of providers and staff, 
 and worsening the strain on providers who work in States where 
 abortion is still available; and

    (5) declares a vision for a future liberated from all 
 abortion restrictions and bans, where everyone has full access 
 to the care they need without fear of penalty or stigma, and 
 affirms the commitment of Congress to working toward that goal 
 in partnership with providers, patients, advocates, and their 
 communities.
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