January 22nd, 2022, was the 49th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court ruling. This decision was pivotal in advancing reproductive justice in our nation, protecting a pregnant person's access to full healthcare services, and ensuring bodily autonomy. Over the past few years, woman's reproductive rights have been under relentless attack. Many states have passed laws that place severe restrictions on a person's ability to obtain an abortion. For example, the Texas state legislature passed SB8, banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy regardless of rape or incest. In December, the Supreme Court effectively insulated this law. During oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a majority of justices appeared prepared to roll back abortion rights- or even overturn Roe completely. The overturning of Roe v. Wade would have drastic negative impacts on individuals around the nation, with the most significant burden falling on low-income communities of color. As the Supreme Court appears increasingly likely to weaken reproductive rights, it is more vital than ever that Congress pass legislation to codify Roe. On September 24th, 2021, the House of Representatives passed the Women's Health Protection Act of 2021, introduced by Representative Judy Chu (D-CA-27). This bill would prohibit governmental restrictions on abortion and protect health care providers' ability to provide abortion services before or after fetal viability when the health or life of the patient is at risk. In addition, the bill prohibits restrictions such as waiting for periods or unnecessary doctor's visits before receiving an abortion. The church is "concerned that access to legal healthcare services is being restricted by making the services inaccessible, unaffordable, misleading, and overly burdensome, in particular for poor, young, single, and marginalized women and girls." In 2012, the 220th General Assembly affirmed our belief that "no law should impose criminal penalties against any [person] who chooses or physician who performs a medically safe abortion… and no law should sanction any action intended to harm or harass those persons contemplating or deciding to have an abortion." States do not have the right to subvert a pregnant person's ability to make decisions about their own body. Additionally, in 1970, the 182nd General Assembly affirmed that "the artificial or induced termination of a pregnancy is a matter of careful ethical decision of the patient…and therefore should not be restricted by law." The Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 ensures reproductive equity and protects bodily autonomy by codifying Roe v. Wade. The Senate must act quickly to pass this legislation! Tell Your Senators to Pass the Women's Health Protection Act of 2021! | 
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