WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th July, 2022) Democrats in the US Senators introduced a bill to protect the women's ability to travel across state lines in the United States to receive an abortion, according to a copy of the measure released on Tuesday.
"It shall be unlawful for any person or government to... restrict or in (any) way sanction, hold liable, discriminate against, or otherwise disadvantage any individual from traveling to another state to receive reproductive healthcare," the bill said.
The legislation, dubbed Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act of 2022, would also protect the ability of entities such as nonprofit organizations to assist individuals in traveling to US states where abortion is permitted, according to the bill text.
It would be the responsibility of the US Attorney General to commence civil action against any state or person acting under the color of law in violation of the interstate travel protections, the bill said. The legislation would likewise allow private legal action by individuals, it added.
The bill was introduced by US Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and co-sponsored by Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar and Richard Blumenthal, among others.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last week that the House of Representatives will work to pass similar legislation reaffirming the right to travel between US states for the purpose of receiving an abortion, as well as codifying Federal protections for abortions after the US Supreme Court overturned its Roe v. Wade decision and allowed states to decide whether to administer or regulate the procedure.
