July 12, 2022 - WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to President Biden urging him to prioritize health equity for racial minorities, and low-income, immigrant, and tribal communities in any executive actions to address the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision from the Supreme Court, which overturned the constitutional right to an abortion in the United States.

“As you consider options for executive actions to protect reproductive rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, I urge you to prioritize equity and specifically address the disproportionate impact this decision will have on racial minorities and economically disadvantaged families, as well as immigrant and tribal communities,” wrote Padilla. “Working to achieve health equity in America has always been critical, but ensuring equitable access to safe abortion care is now essential.”

The letter calls on President Biden to engage the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a public messaging campaign to dispel any false information regarding access to abortion care, and to disseminate resources in multiple languages and across numerous platforms. It also recommends that HHS issue updated guidance to clarify what options states have to expand their federal health programs to provide reproductive care for immigrant women and girls. Additionally, the letter asks that the Department of Homeland Security and HHS develop policies and protocols to ensure that pregnant women and girls in immigration detention or in custody of the Office of Refugee and Resettlement are not denied access to reproductive health care.

Padilla is a champion for reproductive rights and is a cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would guarantee access and the right to provide abortion services in the United States. Padilla also successfully secured commitments from SafeGraph and Placer.ai, two data brokers, to permanently stop selling the location data of people who visit abortion clinics.

Full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear President Biden:

As you consider options for executive actions to protect reproductive rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, I urge you to prioritize equity and specifically address the disproportionate impact this decision will have on racial minorities and economically disadvantaged families, as well as immigrant and tribal communities.

Working to achieve health equity in America has always been critical, but ensuring equitable access to safe abortion care is now essential. A majority of women seeking abortions identify as a racial minority, and an even greater portion of those women are low-income. These marginalized groups already face structural and financial barriers to reproductive care. In the wake of the Dobbs ruling, it is urgent that the federal government ensure women seeking safe abortion care have equitable access to resources and opportunities across the country, in both restrictive abortion states and those maintaining access.

For example, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should engage in a public messaging campaign to dispel any false information regarding access to abortion care, and any resources or materials should be disseminated in multiple languages and across numerous platforms to reach the diverse communities represented throughout the country. Additionally, HHS should issue updated guidance that makes clear what options states have to expand their federal health programs to provide reproductive care for immigrant women and girls. California recently expanded its Medicaid program to provide free healthcare to all low-income immigrants. Other states should follow this example with the assistance of the federal government.

In addition, the Department of Homeland Security and HHS must develop policies and protocols to ensure that pregnant women and girls in immigration detention or in Office of Refugee and Resettlement custody are not denied access to reproductive healthcare – including abortion – because they are detained in states where access to abortion is now restricted.

Multiple generations of women have grown up in a society that guaranteed their right to choose whether to have an abortion. Now, however, they are left with fewer options and less bodily autonomy than their parents. It is the federal government’s responsibility to respond to this crisis expeditiously, and I urge you to ensure that the most vulnerable among us are protected by specifically focusing on equity as you continue to respond to the draconian Dobbs decision.

Sincerely,
Source: Senator Alex Padilla