Women's Issues
Congressman Cohen has been a staunch supporter and advocate for protecting women’s rights, including reproductive freedom and pay equity. Having served as both Chairman and Ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, Congressman Cohen has played a leading role for women’s rights.
The Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision and wiped away the constitutional protections for abortion, allowing states to criminalize healthcare. It is antithetical to women’s empowerment, depriving women of their right to make decisions about their own lives and bodies. Congressman Cohen continues to fight this decision in Congress and by supporting relevant court cases. He supports legislation to ensure access to care, protect patient privacy, and respect the relationship between doctor and patient.
More on Women's Issues
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) went to the House floor this evening after learning that Republican House leaders have decided that Congress will adjourn early on Wednesday for a five-week August recess, and made the following remarks:
WASHINGTON -- – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland today reintroduced the Nationally Enhancing the Wellbeing of Babies through Outreach and Research Now (NEWBORN) Act to help address America's unacceptably high infant mortality rate with concrete solutions. If enacted, the measure would create infant mortality-focused pilot programs in the highest-risk areas of the country to help the populations most vulnerable to this devastating crisis.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a longtime advocate for maternal and prenatal care initiatives, today announced that Le Bonheur Community Health and Well-Being’s Delta Region Maternal Care Coordination Program will receive a $450,000 grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
Tennessee
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, abortion laws and access to care vary substantially from state to state. Tennessee lawmakers have taken steps to restrict abortion rights and access during that time.
As we face an unprecedented reproductive health care crisis nationwide, I recognize that abortion care is health care. Reproductive rights are human rights, and all Tennesseans deserve the freedom to make their own medical decisions – including about abortion.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today applauded the unanimous ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court that keeps access to the widely used abortion medication mifepristone legal. The court ruled that the challenging antiabortion doctors did not have standing to pursue the case.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced that the Shelby County and the Shelby County Health Care Corporation (Regional One) will receive $2,016,498 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy Start Initiative designed to eliminate disparities in perinatal health for expecting mothers and those who have just given birth. The program focuses on communities with infant mortality rates 1.5 times the national average.
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced that the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will receive a $475,675 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study “Candidalysin: a key mediator of Candida vaginitis immunopathology.”
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
WASHINGTON – In conjunction with Infant Mortality Awareness Month, Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-9) and Garret Graves (LA-6) and Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland today introduced the Nationally Enhancing the Wellbeing of Babies through Outreach and Research Now (NEWBORN) Act to help address America’s unacceptably high infant mortality rate with concrete solutions.
WASHINGTON – In conjunction with Infant Mortality Awareness Month, Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-9) and Garret Graves (LA-6) and Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland today introduced the Nationally Enhancing the Wellbeing of Babies through Outreach and Research Now (NEWBORN) Act to help address America’s unacceptably high infant mortality rate with concrete solutions.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today spoke at a hearing entitled “Revisiting the Implications of the FACE Act.” The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a bipartisan measure that became law in 1994, prohibits threats or violence against people seeking reproductive health care.