NIRH Applauds Nevada Legislators for Choosing to “Trust Nevada Women”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 31, 2019
Contact: Noah Gardy, [email protected]

As Fight for Reproductive Freedom Escalates, Nevada Passes the Trust Nevada Women Act to Eliminate Harmful Restrictions on Abortion Access

NEVADA – Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH), released the following statement hailing passage of legislation in Nevada today eliminating outdated and onerous restrictions on abortion access. As the fight for reproductive freedom continues to escalate, and states like Ohio and Alabama pass legislation intended to eliminate abortion, the Trust Nevada Women Act strengthens access by decriminalizing self-managed abortion, so that women never have to face the threat of criminal prosecution for ending a pregnancy. With this passage, the number of states that criminalize self-managed abortion goes from six to five. In January, New York State also decriminalized self-managed abortion with the passage of the Reproductive Health Act.

“The name of this legislation says it all: women can and should be trusted to make decisions about their own bodies and have access to the full range of reproductive services, including abortion,” said Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health. “Amid a destructive and cynical race to the bottom by anti-abortion activists and politicians across the country, it’s heartening to see there are still elected officials who care about protecting and defending the rights and freedoms of their constituents. I applaud the Nevada Legislature and Governor Sisolak for this proactive step, and look forward to the day when all people, not just those in Nevada, are trusted to make decisions about their lives and futures.”

For more than a decade, NIRH has been a leader in the fight to advance reproductive freedom across the country. Recently, they were integral to the successful effort to repeal an outdated criminal abortion ban in Massachusetts, and they led the fight to pass New York’s landmark Reproductive Health Act. Earlier this year, NIRH published a report tracking the passage of more than 100 bills to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice in 27 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.).

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The National Institute for Reproductive Health builds power at the state and local level to change public policy, galvanize public support, and normalize women’s decisions about abortion and contraception.

Using a partnership model, NIRH provides state and local advocates with strategic guidance, hands-on support, and funding to create national change from the ground up. We form strategic partnerships with a wide range of organizations to directly impact the reproductive health and lives of women across the country. Each year, NIRH works in at least 20 states and more than a dozen localities; to date, NIRH has partnered with more than 170 reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations in 43 states and 64 localities across the country.