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Today, U.S. Senate candidate Brandon Brown announced his commitment to introduce sweeping federal legislation to protect reproductive freedom and expand maternal healthcare access if elected to the United States Senate.
The proposal, tentatively titled the Reproductive Justice and Maternal Health Act, comes in response to a wave of extreme state-level abortion bans, including legislation advancing in South Carolina that would eliminate nearly all access to abortion care.
“If Republicans can write laws to strip women of their freedoms, then Democrats must be just as bold in writing laws to protect them,” said Brown. “This is about freedom, dignity, and whether women in this country are treated with humanity under the law.”
Brown’s legislation aims to protect women from criminalization and would establish clear federal protections to ensure that no woman or medical provider is criminalized for receiving or providing abortion care under specific circumstances.
The bill would:
- Prohibit criminal penalties against women and healthcare providers in cases of:
- Rape
- Incest
- Threats to the life of the mother
- Fatal fetal anomalies
- Protect women from prosecution for miscarriages, ensuring that pregnancy loss is never treated as a crime
- Shield individuals who assist women, including family members, medical professionals, and support networks, from criminal liability when helping someone access legal reproductive healthcare
“No woman should face jail time for a miscarriage. No doctor should fear prosecution for providing care. And no family should be punished for helping a loved one in a moment of crisis,” Brown said.
Addressing America’s Maternal Health Crisis
Brown emphasized that reproductive freedom must also include addressing the United States’ maternal health crisis, particularly for Black women and women of color, who face disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality.
His proposal would:
- Extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to one full year nationwide
- Advance key provisions of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, including:
- Funding for community-based maternal health organizations
- Expanding and diversifying the perinatal workforce, including doulas and midwives
- Implementing implicit bias training for healthcare providers
- Invest in evidence-based programs to improve maternal health outcomes in underserved communities
“In the United States of America, women of color are dying at alarming rates during and after childbirth. That is unacceptable,” Brown said. “If we are serious about valuing life, then we must be serious about protecting mothers—not just during pregnancy, but long after.”
A National Contrast
Brown framed the legislation as a direct contrast to what he called “extreme and out-of-touch policies” being advanced by Republican lawmakers across the country.
“This is the difference in this election,” Brown said. “One side is focused on control and punishment. I’m focused on freedom, healthcare, and saving lives.”