No one should be punished for having an abortion, including those that self-manage their own abortions. Where do ‘pro-life’ congressional representatives stand on the issue?

In 2015 in Indiana, Purvi Patel was sentenced to 20 years in prison for self-managing her own abortion. While her sentence was eventually reduced, she is not alone. In a gross violation of their human rights, women across the United States have been prosecuted for ending or attempting to end their own pregnancies.

We received disappointing and disturbing answers from numerous members of Congress about the criminalization of women who self-manage abortion, all of whom have known anti-abortion records:

• Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
• Vicky Hartzler (R-MO)
• Steve King (R-IA)
• Doug LaMalfa (R-CA)
• Greg Pence (R-IN)
• Chris Smith (R-NJ)
• Rob Wittman (R-VA)
• Ron Wright (R-TX)

When we questioned him, Rep. Ron Wright stated women should “absolutely” be punished for having abortions. Make no mistake: Putting people who have abortions in jail is absolutely the logical consequence of anti-abortion policy. Members of Congress need to own this.

Sign our petition to demand that all members of Congress – whether they respect reproductive freedom or identify as ‘pro-life’ – take an official position against criminalizing abortion.