WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement after voting to block Republicans’ legislation that would have required medical providers to override their professional judgment and strip grieving families of the freedom to make their own health care decisions. A procedural vote on the measure failed to receive the required 60 votes to advance for further consideration.
“Today, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Republicans brought legislation to the Senate floor that would criminalize health care providers and put politicians in control of the most painful and personal health care decisions women and families can face.
“Let’s be clear: Infanticide is already a crime in every U.S. state and territory. This bill is no more than political theater, designed to make it more difficult for women and families facing heart-wrenching, fatal fetal diagnoses to work with their health care providers to make their own personal medical decisions. I continue to trust New Mexican women and their doctors — not President Trump and Republican politicians — to make these decisions.
“It’s striking that President Trump and Senate Republicans are spending the first days of this new Administration on these types of efforts rather than passing policies that would help us lower costs, create jobs for working people, and expand access to affordable childcare and high-quality infant and maternal health care. If Republicans were actually serious about improving maternal health outcomes in this country, they would work with Democrats to reduce provider shortages, support our rural hospitals, and ensure all new parents have access to quality pre- and post-natal care.
“I will never stop working to restore women’s freedoms to control their own bodies and make the best decisions for themselves, their families, and their futures.”
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