Welch Calls to Protect Reproductive Rights in Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing

Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) joined a United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing this week to discuss the continuing assault on reproductive rights following the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overruled Roe v. Wade and eliminated protections for women seeking abortion care. Sen. Welch’s remarks also highlighted the erosion of trust in the Supreme Court following the Court’s extremist decisions in cases like Dobbs and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen.  

“Abortion is health care, plain and simple,” said Sen. Welch following the Wednesday hearing. “But the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs puts that essential care out of reach for too many American women. It’s unacceptable, and it exemplifies the kind of rulings that have undermined trust in the Court over the past few years. We must take action to protect abortion rights. And we have to find a path to restoring trust in a Supreme Court that has been using questionable analytical frameworks to advance an ideological agenda. This is imperative to protecting our rights and the future of our democracy.”

Since the Dobbs ruling, many states have placed unprecedented restrictions on abortion access, with 13 states moving to ban abortion entirely, forcing millions of women to travel for abortion care, receive dangerous illicit procedures, or continue to carry an unwanted or unsafe pregnancy. Trust in the Supreme Court is at an all time low, driven both by the Court’s rulings in cases like Dobbs and by recent accusations of ethical misconduct.