This resolution designates a day in May 2025 as "Disability Reproductive Equity Day" to highlight the urgent need to protect and advance reproductive rights and healthcare access for people with disabilities.
Ayanna Pressley
Representative
MA-7
This resolution designates a day in May 2025 as "Disability Reproductive Equity Day" to highlight the severe barriers and historical injustices faced by people with disabilities regarding reproductive healthcare access. It emphasizes the fundamental right of this population to make autonomous decisions about their sexual and reproductive lives, free from discrimination and coercion. The measure calls for increased attention and future action to ensure equitable reproductive freedom for all individuals with disabilities.
Congress Designates 'Disability Reproductive Equity Day' to Highlight Systemic Barriers and Forced Sterilization
This resolution officially designates a day in May 2025 as "Disability Reproductive Equity Day." The core purpose is to focus national attention on the severe and often overlooked challenges people with disabilities face when accessing reproductive healthcare and maintaining bodily autonomy. It’s essentially Congress saying, “We see the problem, and it’s time to talk about it.”
The Uncomfortable Truth About Bodily Autonomy
If you thought forced sterilization was a relic of the past, think again. This resolution lays out the grim reality: the 1927 Supreme Court decision Buck v. Bell, which greenlit involuntary sterilization, has never been overturned. Worse, 31 states plus D.C. still have laws on the books allowing forced sterilization for people with disabilities. That’s not history; that’s a current legal threat for millions of Americans who are simply trying to manage their own health and family planning. This detail alone shows why a dedicated awareness day is necessary.
Access Barriers and Exacerbated Risks
People with disabilities face a unique obstacle course just to get basic care. The resolution highlights that they are less likely to receive timely prenatal checkups and contraception counseling, even though they desire parenthood at the same rates as the general population. Imagine needing to see a specialist, but harmful stereotypes, communication issues, or a guardianship arrangement prevent you from giving consent—that’s the reality for many. Furthermore, the text points out that women with disabilities are nearly twice as likely to experience sexual violence, with risks increasing for those in residential facilities where abuse often goes unreported.
When Healthcare Access Gets Harder
Recent changes to reproductive rights laws have made things even tougher. The resolution notes that since Roe v. Wade was overturned, nearly 3 million women with disabilities of reproductive age now live in states with total or near-total abortion bans. Because this group already struggles with access and systemic bias, these new restrictions disproportionately hurt them. It’s a double whammy: existing barriers combined with new legal limits.
The Pledge: Using Existing Tools
While this resolution doesn't create new law, it does two important things: it creates an awareness day, and it makes a public pledge. The House commits to continuing to advance reproductive equity for people with disabilities. Crucially, it specifically calls on the President to uphold and enforce existing federal protections—like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. This is a reminder that the tools to prevent discrimination are already on the books; they just need full enforcement to ensure equitable access to care for everyone, regardless of their disability status.