For Immediate Release: May 13, 2019
NARAL Celebrates As Nevada Assembly Committee Votes to Advance Trust Nevada Women Act
Critical legislation to safeguard reproductive freedom now heads to the Assembly floor for final vote
Today, the Nevada Assembly Health and Human Services Committee voted 7-to-2 to advance the Trust Nevada Women Act (TNWA)/SB 179, moving this progressive and forward-thinking piece of legislation towards a final floor vote. The TNWA, sponsored by Sen. Yvanna Cancela, is common-sense legislation that will remove antiquated abortion restrictions and bring Nevada law in line with Nevadans’ overwhelmingly pro-choice values. Last week, NARAL members embarked on their fourth and final “Feminist Road Trip” of the legislative session, where hundreds of activists from across the state drove to Carson City to pack the halls of the capitol in support of the TNWA and lobby their legislators to fight for the reproductive rights of all Nevadans.
“We are excited that the members of the Assembly Health and Human Services Committee voted to move this crucial piece of legislation forward today, heeding the calls of Nevadans to protect reproductive freedom for all Nevadans,” said NARAL Pro-Choice Nevada State Director, Caroline Mello Roberson. “The Trust Nevada Women Act will ensure that our state laws reflect Nevadans’ overwhelmingly pro-choice values. NARAL and our members will continue to fight to ensure the TNWA passes and ushers in a new era of equality and dignity in Nevada.”
Last week, Nevada’s Lieutenant Governor Kate Marshall and Attorney General, Aaron Ford both issued public statements, praising this groundbreaking legislation and underlining its importance. Since it was introduced, the TNWA has garnered widespread support, passing the Senate with bipartisan backing and gaining praise from a supermajority of Nevadans, over 8 in 10 who want abortion to remain safe, legal, and free from government interference.
NARAL and its 45,000 members have proudly led the push for the TNWA, hosting weekly phone banking events in Reno and Las Vegas, testifying on behalf of the bill, and creating the need for multiple overflow rooms at each of the bill’s public hearings. In a recent op-ed in the Las Vegas Sun, NARAL Nevada State Director Caroline Mello Roberson explained how essential the TNWA is to improving the health and well-being of Nevada women and families.
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