Carper Statement on Senate Failure to Pass Women’s Health Protection Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) today released the following statement after the Senate failed to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation that would have codified the opinion in Roe v. Wade: 

“Last week, we learned the deeply disappointing news that the Supreme Court is on the precipice of overturning Roe v. Wade. Like many Americans, I am dismayed over what this would mean for our nation and our Constitution. Essentially, it amounts to a full-fledged attack on women’s health and the biggest setback for women’s rights in my lifetime. Overturning Roe v. Wade would allow states to ban all abortions—even for victims of rape and incest and to protect the life of the mother—and enable state legislators to create criminal penalties for women and their doctors who make this most personal decision. These are not hypotheticals; these are the actual laws being passed by state legislatures.

“That’s why today, I once again voted for legislation to protect a woman’s right to make decisions about her own health, a principle first established in Roe v. Wade and upheld by the Supreme Court as settled law for the past half-century. This critical legislation would ensure that Roe v. Wade remains the law of the land—and would ensure that women and their doctors, not politicians and judges, can continue to make these private health care decisions. 

“While I’m deeply disappointed in the outcome of today’s vote, the fight is far from over: I’m committed to continuing to work to find a way to protect this fundamental right for women to be able to make their own health care choices. Failure is not an option.”

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