A discharge petition filed Wednesday could force the GOP-led House to hold a vote on a landmark abortion-rights bill

U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Judy Chu (D-CA) filed a “discharge petition” on Wednesday that could force Speaker Kevin McCarthy to hold a vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act – a landmark piece of legislation that would restore the protections that were in place under Roe v. Wade.

As the nation approaches the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and with the support of Democratic leadership in the House, this trio of House lawmakers are seeking to employ a seldom-used legislative tactic that could force the GOP-led House to hold a vote on a key piece of legislation that would restore every American’s right to abortion care.

“In every election or poll since the Dobbs decision, the American people have made their support for reproductive rights clear,” said Lee, the co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus.

“My colleagues in Congress now have a choice: either trust your constituents to make the best decisions for themselves about their bodies, health, and lives, or go against the will of the people and continue to restrict a fundamental personal freedom.

“The decision to have an abortion should be between a person and their doctor—NOT politicians. The Pro-Choice Caucus is sending a message to the American people that we will not stop fighting to defend your right to make your own decisions over your bodies.”

“If my colleagues on the other side of the aisle aren’t willing to stand up for the people they represent, then we must,” DeGette, who serves as co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, said on the House floor Wednesday to announce the trio’s decision to file the petition.

“We may not have the majority in this chamber, but there is no doubt that we have the majority of Americans on our side in this fight. Now is the time to end the devastation that too many Americans have already experienced. Now is the time to let the American public know exactly where every member of this chamber stands.”

“With House Republicans beholden to their extreme MAGA members, they refuse to restore and strengthen Americans’ reproductive rights,” said Chu, the prime sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act. “I am beyond proud to work with House Democratic leadership and the Pro-Choice Caucus to offer the Women’s Health Protection Act in a discharge petition to force accountability for their inaction.

“House Members who do not add their signature are telling Americans that they shouldn’t have the freedom to make their own healthcare decisions,” Chu concluded.

Under House rules, if a discharge petition to force a vote on a particular piece of legislation is signed by 218 members of the House, it must immediately be brought before the full House for a vote, regardless of any objections or attempts by GOP leadership to block the legislation from being considered.

In this case, if the petition Lee, DeGette, and Chu filed Wednesday is signed by 218 members of the House, Speaker McCarthy and his allies would be required to immediately hold a vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act, which the House approved twice last year.

The move comes as more than one dozen states across the country have enacted laws banning or extremely limiting women’s right to access abortion services in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision last June.

If approved, the Women’s Health Protection Act would restore the protections that were in place under Roe and nullify any state or local government’s restrictions that have been put in place to limit, or outright prohibit, patients’ access to abortion care.

Now that it’s been filed, the discharge petition introduced by Lee, DeGette, and Chu will remain open for members to sign.

At any time, if the discharge petition filed Wednesday garners 218 signatures, the Women’s Health Protection Act will be called up for a vote – despite the GOP’s intent on preventing it from being considered.

From U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee’s media relations office.

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