Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act

# Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act (HR 4099) ## What the Bill Would Do This bill would establish a federal right to abortion access across the United States. Specifically, it would protect a woman's right to obtain an abortion before fetal viability (the point at which a fetus could survive outside the womb) and would allow abortion after viability in cases where the pregnancy poses a risk to the woman's life or health. The bill would prevent states from restricting abortion rights beyond these parameters. ## Who It Affects and Key Details The bill would primarily affect women seeking abortion services and would override state-level abortion restrictions that are more stringent than the protections it establishes. It would also impact healthcare providers, clinics, and hospitals that provide abortion services.

This legislation represents a response to the 2022 Supreme Court decision (Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization) that eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion, returning authority to individual states to set their own abortion policies. ## Current Status As of now, HR 4099 remains in committee, meaning it has not yet advanced to a full House vote. The bill was introduced in the 119th Congress and is sponsored by Representative Lizzie Fletcher, a Democrat from Texas.