Today, Jen Klein, Director of the White House Gender Policy Council, and Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, chaired a meeting with state legislative leaders on state legislative efforts to advance access to reproductive health care amidst unprecedented attacks from Republican officials.
So far in 2022, 12 states have enacted more than 25 bills to protect and expand access to abortion, including by expanding who can provide abortions; advancing private and state funding of abortion services; taking steps to protect providers and patients; and codifying the right to abortion into state law. In May, prior to the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, White House Senior Officials met with legislative leaders from states working on proactive reproductive rights legislation. A week after the decision, the President met with Governors to discuss opportunities for executive action and their support for proactive state legislative agendas to protect and expand access to reproductive health care. Since then, several states have passed legislation to support access to abortion, including California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.
In the meeting, state legislative leaders discussed the affirmative steps they have taken so far, and shared proposals to protect reproductive health and rights under consideration for the 2023 state legislative session. White House Senior Officials thanked the leaders for their efforts and ongoing partnership with the White House.
State legislative leaders included:
- California Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins
- Washington President Pro Tempore Karen Keiser
- Oregon House Majority Leader Julie Fahey
- California Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
- Colorado State Representative Meg Froelich
- Connecticut State Representative Jillian Gilchrest
- Delaware State Senator Kyle Gay
- Illinois State Representative Kelly Cassidy
- Maryland Delegate Ariana Kelly
- Massachusetts State Senator Cindy Friedman
- Massachusetts State Representative Aaron Michlewitz
- Massachusetts State Representative Liz Miranda
- New Mexico Senator Linda Lopez
- New York State Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas
- Oregon State Representative Travis Nelson
