In Fiery House Hearing Over Abortion, Dems Invoke ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Imagery As GOP Rails Against Loose Laws In Blue States
There was little action expected out of a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, but lawmakers debated recent abortion laws in both red and blue states.
The Hill:
Democrats, Republicans In Congress Spar Over State Abortion Laws
The fight over state abortion bans moved to Congress on Tuesday with Democrats holding a hearing to declare an ongoing “crisis” in states across the country. “This country has reached a crisis point for women’s constitutional rights to control their own bodies and their own reproductive choices,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said at a hearing Tuesday. (Hellmann, 6/4)
CQ:
National Abortion Debate Intensifies In Congress, Campaigns
The debate over abortion continues to heat up as a House panel sparred Tuesday over the slew of new state restrictions that conservatives hope could lead to a court challenge that would undermine the nationwide guarantee of a right to abortion. The congressional dispute came soon after the nation’s top anti-abortion group outlined on Monday night its main goals for the 2020 elections, and Missouri state officials and Planned Parenthood went to court Tuesday over the future of the state’s last abortion clinic. (Raman, 6/4)
The Hill:
Louisiana State Democrat: Abortion Is 'Modern-Day Genocide'
Democratic Louisiana State Rep. Katrina Jackson appeared in a series of interviews over the last few days defending her state's new anti-abortion law, saying she thinks of the procedure as "modern-day genocide." Louisiana last month became the sixth state to recently pass a ban on abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is usually at about six weeks of pregnancy. (Rodrigo, 6/4)
Meanwhile, in related news —
The Washington Post:
As States Try To Restrict Abortion, Access Is Expanding In Some Parts Of The South
For nearly three years, Jill Dinwiddie worked quietly. She talked to potential donors about how desperately Planned Parenthood needed a new health center, one large enough to add abortion to the clinic’s services for the first time in three decades. She needed to raise $10 million, find a building in the city’s competitive real estate market and renovate it — all without media outlets or protesters finding out. Dinwiddie and her co-chairs of the capital campaign committee, Crandall Bowles and Linda Hudson, conducted an under-the-radar search for a real estate agent, purchased a building with a limited-liability company set up to mask the buyer and built a password-protected donation website. (Valade, 6/4)
The Washington Post:
Stacey Abrams Urges Hollywood To ‘#StayAndFight’ In Georgia Instead Of Boycotting Over Abortion Law
Stacey Abrams, the Democrat from Georgia who earned national attention after narrowly losing her bid for governor last year, is urging Hollywood not to abandon the state over its new and more restrictive abortion law. Some of the biggest names in film and television — including Walt Disney and WarnerMedia — have suggested they might boycott Georgia if the legislation survives court challenges. But Abrams, political allies and business leaders contend an economic boycott would serve to only deprive working-class people of jobs with no guarantee it would reverse a law that is being teed up to challenge Roe v. Wade. (Shaban, 6/4)
